LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 



Cliaptti:4.'2| Copyright No.. 
ShelfAA-lIiB 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 




Oriskany Monument. 



Oneida Historical Societ 



OUTLINE HISTORY 



OF 



Utica and Vicinity 



PREPARED BY A COMMITTEE 



OF THE 



,^^af NEW CENTURY CLUB 



^-^ 



C 



l-*i.dr^'-'>^ 



,/3..c.6' 




>^ . .J^ 



^. 



UTICA, NEW YORK 
h. C. CHILDS AND SOX 

I 900 



TWO COPIES RECElVEiJ, 

r \"^.^ U/Drary of Ceagpoii^ 

i-FR^8 1900 

i^eglster of Copyflghts^ 



ri7043 



COPYRIGHT 1900, 

nr THE NKW CENTURY CLUB OF UTICA, \. > 

Al.L RIGHTS RESERVED. 



SECOND OOPY, 



PREFACE. 

THIS sketch of our city and its neighborhood has beea 
prepared with the object of bringing together, in 
brief and inexpensive form, the most important facts of 
local history, with a slight mention of noteworthy citizens 
and of natural surroundings. 

Sincere thanks are due to the many friends who have 
given valuable aid : especially to Dr. M. M. Bagg, whose 
works have been a main source of information ; Professor 
North of Hamilton College ; Mr. Egbert Bagg ; Miss 
Blandina D. Miller ; Mr. Quentin McAdam and Mr. 
William C. McAdam ; and to Mr. Charles D. Walcott of 
Washington; Dr. F. J. H. Merrill of Albany; Dr. Joseph B. 
Haberer ; Mr. Benjamin D. Gilbert ; and Mr. George C. 
Hodges. 

The Editors take pleasure also in acknowledging their 
indebtedness to The Saturday Globe for the use of several 
plates for illustrations, and to the Oneida Historical So- 
ciety, and the Rev. John R. Harding of Trinity Church, 
for similar favors. The photograph of Sherman Fall is 
printed by the courtesy of the U. S. Geological Survey. 
The plate was lent through the kindness of Dr. F. J. H. 
Merrill, State Geologist. 

The work is but an outline history. For the many de- 
tails which give life to the subject, readers are asked to 



IV. PREFACE. 

consult the writings to which full marginal references are 
given. 

It is hoped that the book now issued will interest a 
larger number of our citizens in the life of the past, and 
especially that it may stimulate the young to reach for- 
ward to the highest type of citizenship in the opening cen- 
tury. If this shall be the result, the wish of its originators 
will be fully answered. 

The Editors. 

New Crntury Club, Utica, N. Y. 
January, 1900. 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE 

I. Earliest History i 

II. The Village of Utica — 1798-1832 9 

III. The City of Utica from its Incorporation to the 

Civil War— 1832-1861 16 

IV. Utica during the Civil War — 1861-1865 22 

V. Industrial Growth of Utica and Vicinity ^^ 

VI. The Spanish War 42 

VII. Centennial Celebrations 48 

VIII. History of Transportation; Routes of Travel. ... 51 

IX. Names of Streets 59 

X. Old Buildings 62 

XI. Noteworthy Citizens of Oneida County 69 

XII. Education 97 

XIII. Library; Oneida Historical Society: etc 106 

XIV. The Government of Utica 112 

XV. Geography 129 

XVI. Geology 138 

XVII. Botany 152 

XVIII. Birds 163 

Bibliography 181 

Index 191 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Facing Page 

Oriskany Monument Frontispiece 

Oneida Stone 4 

Trinity Church ^5 

Utica Free Academy 97 

Munson-Williams Memorial i°8 

" Old Saratoga " ^ " 

Sherman Fall, Trenton Falls Ui 

Wilson Elm ^59 



ABBREVIATIONS. 

Pioneers, Dr. Bagg's Pioneers of Utica. 

M. H., Dr. Bagg's Memorial History of Utica. 

O. H. S., Oneida Historical Society. 

E. and F., Everts and Fariss' History of Oneida County. 

(Other abbreviations will be noticed as they are used.) 



"The Times, as we say — or the present aspects of our 
social state, .... are the receptacle in -which the 
Past leaves its history, the quarry out of which the genius 
of to-day is building up the Future." 

EMERSON. 



I. 
EARLIEST HISTORY. 

FORT STANWIX AND OLD FORT SCHUYLER. 

THE territory embraced within the present limits of 
Oneida County was not settled until the close of the Morgan's 
Revolution, when the tide of immigration began pour- ^-^^^^^.^^ '^" 
ing into Central and Western New York from New Eng- 
land. Its soil was originally a part of the vast domain 
over which the Iroquois Confederacy held sway. 

The territory of the Five Nations, as they were called 
by the English — and the Iroquois by the French — extend- 
ed from the Hudson to Niagara. The Nations, or tribes, 
were known severally as Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, J?h!^;^^p^'3g; 
Cayugas and Senecas. Later the Tuscaroras of South 
Carolma were adopted into the Confederacy, and hence- 
forth the Iroquois were styled by the English, "The 
League of the Six Nations." 

Becoming allied with England in the war which the 
Colonists waged for Independence, the Iroquois forfeited 
their lands by the victory of the Americans and the laws 
of war. Henceforth ownership was vested m the Unitedpp. 24, 27.28,29. 
States government. The action of the Oneidas, however, 
in refusing to take up arms against the Americans, prevent- J^^J^'^-.p^?"- 
ed the Iroquois from declaring their allegiance, as a unit, Hist. Empire 
to the British Crown. It is to the honor and credit of the^^^^'^'P' ^■''*- 
State of New York that only by treaty or purchase, were 
the lands once in possession of the Indian? appropriated 
by the State. 

An Act passed by the First General Assembly of the 
Province of New York in 1683, provided for the division 
of the Province into twelve counties. (Dukes and Corn- 
wall were later surrendered to Massachusetts.) 



2 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

Albany County, one of the original twelve counties, ex- 

Ibid. pp. g6-7. iiiriT-«- -i 

Hendrick's tended westward to the bounds oi the Province until 
Brief Hist. 1 772, wheu Tryon Couuty was erected from its territory, 
pp. 44-5- taking its name from the last English Governor of New 

Ibid. pp. 989. York, William Tryon. This was changed by the Legisla- 
of Oneida Co.. ture, April 2, 1784, to Montgomery County, in honor of 
pp.2. 3- General Richard Montgomery, who fell at Quebec in 17715. 

Loss^ng's . . 

Hist. Empire The Couuty of Herkimer was erected from the territory 
state, p. 584. £ Montgomery County in 1791. March 15, i7q8, an Act 

Jones'sAnnals ° /.. •' '^ J'/^' 

p. 8. Judge was passed dividing Herkimer County, and the counties 
dress^cent ' ^^ Oucida and Chenango were formed from its territory. 
Oneida Co., f hc domaiu covcred by the former took its name from the 

March 15, i8q8. . . , -i i ^ ■ i m r i- 

original occupants of the soil, the Oneida tribe of Indians. 

One of a chain of forts built by the English during the 

French and Indian war was located on the site of the 

present city of Utica and was known as "Old Fort Schuy- 

Ded. Site Old Icr." It was designed to guard the fording place in the 

Ft. Schuyler j-j^gj. ^bovc it, and stood near the intersection of Second 

in Trans. O.H. ' 

s., 1881 4- street and the New York Central Railroad. The Indian 

Jones'sAnnals ^j^ from Oucida Castle crosscd the one leading to the 
pp. 490-1. ^ '^ 

Pioneers, p. 5. Oneida Carrying Place, (Fort Stanwix), at the ford, near 
M. H., p. 17. ^j^g place where the bridge now spans the Mohawk at the 
M^.^H^^p'^'is' ' foot of Genesee street. The fort was called "Old Fort 

Schuyler " to distinguish it from a more important forti 
Jones'sAnnals fication on the site of the present city of Rome, N. Y. , 
p. 491.' " ^ properly called Fort Stanwix. During the Revolution an 
M. H. p. 18. effort was made to change the name of Fort Stanwix to 

Fort Schuyler. 

The statement is often made that Old Fort Schuyler was 
Colls, p'^374. named in honor of Col. Peter Schuyler of Albany, the be- 

jones's Annals iQ^g(j "Brother Ouider " of the Indians and uncle of Gen- 

p. 490. "^ 

M.H. pp. 17-18. eral Philip Schuyler of the Revolution. Others claim that 

it was named for his nephew and namesake. Col. Peter 



EARLIEST HISTORY. 



Schuyler of New Jersey, an officer in the active service of 

his country at the time this fort was built. When the ^.^^^^^^^^^ 

foundations of the defense were laid, Col. Peter Schuyler of Y.(Gen.schay- 

Albany, (its first mayor), had been dead over a quarter ot a^g hartley 

century. It seems reasonable to believe that the custom ^^ '^'^^^g';^; 

then prevalent, of naming fortifications in honor of officers 

in active service, was followed in this instance, and that 

"Old Fort Schuyler" was called for Col. Peter Schuyler 

of New Jersey, then in command of the Jersey Blues at 

Oswego. 

The fort, probably built in 1758, was allowed to go to 
decay at the close of the French war. Indeed, it had jones-sAnnais 
never been an important fortification, having been rudely 
constructed in the form of an earthen embankment, sur- 
rounded by pickets. 

Fort Stanwix, built by the English in 1758, and named in Barber's Hist, 
honor of General John Stanwix, stood at the head of nav-g^g^'^^^g^J' 
igation on the Mohawk, (now Rome, N. Y.), and was am^nTr^^s.o.H. 
expensive and elaborate fortification, costing the Crown jones'sAnnais 
$266,400. The need of defense at this point was impera- pp^'J"^*/^^ ^^ 
tive from its situation on the great water-route from the y. 

, . , , O'Callaghan, 

Hudson to the western lakes. Here, in early tmies, boats yoi. 4, p. 323. 
were transferred from the Mohawk to Wood Creek across 
the portage known as the "Oneida Carrying Place." 

Fort Stanwix played an important part in the Revolu- 
tion when, in Burgoyne's Campaign of 1777, under the ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 
gallant Col. Peter Gansevoort, it withstood the siege of the p. 313. 
English, commanded by Col. Barry St. Leger. It was the J^^'^- pP" ^'^ 
news of the attack upon the fort which led the militia of Barber's mst. 

Colls., pp. 367- 

Tryon County, under Gen. Nicholas Herkimer, to march to ^^ 

its relief. Intercepted at Oriskany on the morning of the ^^^^J^^^^^J'^^^ 

6th of August, 1777, by the English and their Indian allies on co., ch. 4. 

under Brandt and Butler, a battle followed which has been 

called the most obstinate and murderous of the Revolution, 



4 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

^f^^'J' ^'I'^^for the loss of life, was relatively greater here than in any 
tines. other engagement. The battle of Oriskany, although a 

Roberts' Hist, g^^j^jj^ defeat, was in effect a victory. Washington said: 

Empire State, . 

Vol. 2, pp. 413- " Here Herkimer first reversed the gloomy scene of the 
Dad. Oriskany campaign." By their heroic action the farmers of the 
Mon. in Trans. Mohawk Valley, largely the German Palatines, drove back 

O.H.S., 18814. J c^ J 

Gov sey- ^hc invader. The plans of Burgoyne were frustrated, and 
mour's Ad jj^ ^j^g foUowiug Octobcr his army surrendered upon the 

dress of Wel- 
come, Cent. Heights of Saratoga. 

Bat. Oriskany, According to the best authority, the Stars and Stripes 

Trans.O.H. S., ° •' ' ^ 

'877. in the form adopted by the Continental Congress, June 14, 

Flag of u. s.! ^777^ were first unfurled on land from the ramparts of Fort 
p. 176 in Har- g^g^j^^jjj Hastily improvised for the occasion, the flag 

per's Mag., 

July, 1877. was displa3^ed during the siege of the fort. It was made 
Lossings £ white shirt, a blue camlet cloak, and bits of red cloth 

Field Book of ' 

the Rev., Vol. from the pctticoat of a soldier's wife. 
I, p. 242 

Rev. Samuel Kirkland, who later founded the Ham- 
ilton Oneida Academy, of which Hamilton College is the 
outgrowth, served as Chaplain at Fort Stanwix during the 
Revolution. To the influence of this eminent missionary to 
Fiske's Am. ^^^ Indians of Western New York, and to the efforts of the 

Rev. Vol.1, pp ' 

285-92. pioneer settler of Westmoreland, Judge James Dean, is 

Colls., pp. 362- due the action of the Oneidas in remaining neutral during 
4, 376 the War for Independence. Through the labors of Mr. 

Jones'sAnnals . _ _ 

203-20, 744, 853- Kirkland, the Oneidas and their celebrated chief, Skenan- 
Lothrop'sLife*^'^^'^' embraced the Christian religion. They were known as 
of Kirkland. "the tribe of the Upright Stone." This sacred stone was 
their national altar, and they gathered around it from year to 
year to celebrate solemn religious rites and to worship the 
Schoolcraft's ^^^eat Spirit. The moral qualities of the Oneidas led Pas- 
Notes on the tor Kirkland to pronounce them the noblest of the Six 

Iroquois, p. 46. . - 

Nations. 

The sacred stone of the Oneidas now stands in Forest 




ONEIDA STONE, 



Saturday Globe. 



EARLIEST HISTORY. 5 

, . , 1 1 1 • i. • Gridley's Hist. 

Hill Cemetery, near the entrance. This valuable histori- ^^ ^^^^^ ^^ 
cal relic was brought from Stockbridge, Madison County, Kirkiand, p. 7- 

in 1849. 

Fort Stanwix was the scene of important treaties and 
conferences between the Colonies and the Six Nations. 
Notable among them is the Convention of November 5, 
1768, which established " the line of property," or bound- 
ary line between the Six Nations and the Colonies of New 
York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia— J^'^^J'^ ^^"*^' 
long the source of hostilities and the subject of continued 
dispute and controversy. Near the foot of College Hill, 
Clinton, the Class of '87 of Hamilton College has erected 
a stone to mark the "line of property" as fixed by the 
treaty of Fort Stanwix, signed for the Crown by General 
Indian Agent Sir Wilham Johnson. 

In 1784 a treaty was signed at Fort Stanwix in which 
peace was established between the United States and the ^^.^ ^^_^ 
Six Nations. Samuel Kirkiand acted as interpreter. He 
was largely influential in brmging the Indians to terms of 
peace, "Red Jacket," the Seneca Chief, being present and 
opposing the treaty stipulations. 

The Great Indian Treaty of 1788, held at Fort Stanwix, 
was all important in its relations to the future of Oneida Lossing's 

.,,,.,.., 1- -i „ Hist. Empire 

County, for the land now included withm its hmits was g^^^^ p^^^ 
there ceded to the State by its original owners and occu- 
pants. 

By the Act creating Oneida County, it was provided 
that there should be held a Court of Common Pleas and 
General Sessions of the Peace in May, September and De- 
cember. The court was to be held in the school house at 
Fort Stanwix, which stood on the site of the present City Hall 
in Rome. Jedediah Sanger, of New Hartford, was elected 
first judge, and the side judges were Hugh White of 



p. 24. 



Ibid. pp. 

QO, 529-38. 



6 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

Whitesboro, David Ostrom of Utica, George Huntington 
of Rome, and James Dean of Westmoreland. William 
Colbraith of Rome was the first sheriff, Jonas Piatt of 
Whitesboro the first county clerk, and Arthur Breese of 
Whitesboro the first surrogate. 

The first term of the Court of Common Pleas was held 
in May, 1798, Judge Sanger presiding. The first Circuit 
jones'sAnnais Court was held in September, 1798, Hon. John Lansing, 
Chief Justice ; the first Court of Oyer and Terminer was 
held at the same place (the school house at Fort Stanwix), 
June 5, 1798. presided over by Hon. James Kent, Justice 
of the Supreme Court. 

The site of Utica, called in the Oneida tongue, " Yah- 
nun-da-da-sis," meaning "around the hill," is a part of a 
tract of 22,000 acres which George Second, King of Great 
Pioneers, p. Britain, granted in royal letters patent in 1734 to a num- 

645 . 

Jones'sAnnais ber of individuals, but in reality to the Governor of the 
p. 490. Province, William Cosby. The pronunciation of the 

Indian name varies, and it has been written "U-nun-da-da- 
ges." 

The quit-rents reserved in the patent having been left 
unpaid, Daniel Horsmanden, Chief Justice of the Colony 
of New York, directed the land to be sold in 1772, at pub- 
lic sale. It was bid in by Colonel, afterwards General, 
Ibid. p, 531. pj^iijp Schuyler, for the benefit of himself. Gen. John 
Bradstreet, Rutger Bleecker and John M. Scott. 

In 1786 the survey of Cosby's Manor was completed by 
Pioneers, pp. Johu R. Blcccker, son of onc of its proprietors. At this 
!?■ time three dwellings were located near the ford, one on 

M. ri., pp. 20-1. "^ 

the west and two on the east side of the present Genesee 
street. 

By the Act of 1784 which changed Tryon to Montgom- 
ery County, its territory was divided into five districts, one 



EARLIEST HISTORY. 



of which was German Flats. The latter, which formed a 

part of Cosby's Manor, was divided March 7, 1788, and ^^^^^.^^^^^^^ 

Whitestown was set apart as a separate town which, west p. 2. 

, , , , 11 f XT A7 1 Pioneers, pp. 

of the dividing line, then mcluded the whole of New York ^^.^^ 
State. The eastern boundary line of Whitestown crossed m. h., p. 20. 
the Mohawk at the ford, leaving part of the settlement 
of "Old Fort Schuyler" in Whitestown and part in Ger- 
man Flats. "Upon the formation of Oneida County in 
1798, the east line was thrown eastwardly to the present 
line of the city and county." 

At this period Rome and Whitesboro bade fair to become 
the centres of trade and population in Oneida County. 
The natural advantages offered the early settler in the 
vicinity of Old Fort Schuyler were not such as would 
Drove attractive to the pioneer. Yet, the excellent facil- jones-sAnnais 
ities afforded at this point for the transportation ot supplies, m. h , pp. is- 
early marked it as an important trading-post. Gradually J^-^^^.^^^^^^^ 
the fording place took upon itself the character of a village, p. 495- 
as the early traders and mechanics began to locate in the 
vicinity of "Old Fort Schuyler." For some years the 
settlement was confined to the two streets which ran paral- 
lel with the river, (Water and Main), with a few scattering 
houses on the Whitestown road. 

A real impetus was given to the growth of the settlement 
in the years 1794, '95 and '97 by expenditures laid out upon 
the road to the "Genesee country" through appropriations Barber's Hist, 
from the legislature. Particularly was this true of the J°;|f^;^P; ^J^; 
year 1800, when the great highway to the west was con- 6, 7. 
structed by the Seneca Turnpike Company, which, taking 
in "Old Fort Schuyler," passed much to the south of Rome 
and Whitesboro. (See VIII.) 

In 1792 the settlers petitioned the legislature for aid in ^^_^ 
the construction of a bridge across the Mohawk. The m. h., p. 2g. 
bridge raised in 1791 was now completed and, by doing 



8 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

away with the inconvenience hitherto experienced in ford- 
ing the river, added materially to the growth of the hamlet. 
Barber's Hist. The first Church within its limits was organized April i, 
pk)neei'^s,p.''qo 1/93, wndcr the style of "The United Society of Whites- 
jones's Annals j.Q^j^ and Old Fort Schuyler." August 21, 1794, Rev. 
p- 567- 

Bethuel Dodd was installed pastor. 

Up to the year 1798 the history of the place is mainly 
the chronicle of a list of pioneers whose integrity and thrift 
laid the foundations of the future city's growth. 



II. 

THE VILLAGE OF UTICA. 

1798—1832. 

THE men of Old Fort Schuyler now felt the need of more 
formal organization and applied to the legislature for 
an act of incorporation, which was passed April 3, 
1798. 

The village took the name of Utica. It is said that this 
name was chosen by lot. According to the story, some of pioneers, p 78. 
the inhabitants of the village, discussing the matter at 
Bagg's Tavern, decided to settle it by allowing each to write ^^^ ^^^^^ 
the name of his choice and put it in a hat ; the first name ^^f p^^.^^^ „f 
drawn out to be adopted. This proved to be Utica, " the Am^ Hist., pp. 
choice of that eminent classical scholar, Erastus Clark." 

There was a second charter in 1805, and a third in 1817. 
(See XIV.) By the third charter Utica was made a town, ibid, p. 79. 
separate from Whitestown. The records of the first seven 
years of the village were destroyed by fire in 1848, and 
we have little knowledge of the official acts of that time. 

The Directory of 1832 says : "The gentleman who was ^^^^^ ^irec- 
thefirstPresidentof the Village (1 798), Talcott Camp, Esq., tory, .S3., p. 
is still resident in the city." 

The first tax list which we have is that of 1800, when 
the taxes amounted to $40. , and the highest sum was Pioneers, pp. 
$2., paid by John Post, the pioneer merchant and tavern '^ "3, 97- 
keeper. 

The first newspaper in Utica was the Whitestown Gazette 
and Catos Patrol, published in 1798 by William McLean, ibid.. p. 83. 
He had first published it at New Hartford in 1794 under 
the name of the Whitestozvn Gazette. 



lO OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

Mrs. whitch- We are told that the first paper printed in the county, 

©r's Strflv 

Leaves in the which was also the first west of Albany, was the Western 
!i'^5"°l Sentinel, established by Oliver P. Easton, at Whitesboro, 

Whitesboro, ' . . 

p. 41- in January, 1794, and continued six years. 

Water for the village use was obtained in 1802, when 

the " Utica Aqueduct Company" brought water in a log 

T. Hopper in aqucduct from springs at the foot of the sand bank (now 

Trans. O. H. ^ r & V 

s., 1885-6. Spring street), through the pasture lots to the corner of 
Genesee and Liberty streets, and down Genesee. 

In 1824, the Erie canal caused the severing of the aque- 
duct, but a new company, the Utica Aqueduct Association, 
was formed in 1832, and erected works in the same re- 
gion two years later. The deed of the property on which 
some of these springs are situated contains a clause reserv- 
ing to the Association the right to obtain water from this 
source. It actually did so until 1850. 

The Utica Water Works Company was incorporated 
March 31, 1848. 

In 1805 three wells were dug, which were in use for 
Pioneers, p. g^^^g time. That in the centre of Bagg's square was 
Trans, o. H. jQ^g kept opcu, and was a gathering place for the inhabi- 

S., 1885 6. . r 1 -11 1 T 

tants during a great part of the village hie. 

In 1793 the Presbyterians had organized a religious socie- 
ty, (See I.) and church-going people of every denomination 
Pioneers, pp. jyjet for worship in the school house, the Presbyterian min- 
ister conducting the services and giving part of his time to 
Utica and part to Whitesboro. 

A church building was erected in 1806-7, o" the corner 
of Washington and Liberty streets, on a lot given by Major 
John Bellinger with the sole condition that he should have 
bid., p. 21.:). ^^ -^ ^j^g church. 

Ibid., p. 33g. r 

The Presbyterian Church of Utica was separated from 



THE VILLAGE OF UTICA— 1798-1832. ^^ 

that of Whitesboro in 181 3, while as early as 1805 the ^^.^^^^^ 
Utica society had organized separately for the transaction 
of business. 

Trinity Church was organized in 1798, by Rev. Philander 
Chase. In a few years it was reorganized, the certificate d. w.Pe^ru.ns, 
of incorporation bearing date Aug. 14, 1804. The present server, Sept. 
lot was obtained in accordance with a promise from the 3p°'^;^J;^pp 
Bleecker family to give a lot to the first church that should es-.,,. 
be erected. The present building was used in 1806, and 

completed in 18 10. 

In the early part of this period many Welsh families set- ^^.^^ ^^ ,3^. 
tied m Utica, and in 1801 a Welsh Baptist Church was .36^^^^^ ^^^^^ 
formed— the first Church, exclusively of Utica, whose or- w.ish set- 
ganization has been continuous and services unbroken to «^^Yjo°^j;f; 
the present time. In 1804, a small church was built byo.H. s., m^ 
the Welsh Congregationalists. 

Services of the Roman Catholic Church were first held 
in Utica in 18 19, in the building on John street, which 
served as Court House and Academy. 

St. John's Church was soon organized ; the present lot, p.^^^^^^ ^ 
on the corner of John and Bleecker streets, was given by ,,,, 
Judge Morris S. Miller, and a building consecrated in 1821. 

A large number of charitable and missionary societies 
were organized in this period, some of which are still in 
existence. Among them was The * 'Female Charitable So- ''^'^■' p- ^^°- 
ciety of Whitestown," organized in 1806, which was "the 
first benevolent association of the county of which we 
have any knowledge." 

For many years the children of all denominations gath- 
ered in one Sunday School, organized in 18 16. The first j^^j^^ pp ^,^. 
book of Scripture questions compiled for Sunday Schools 413, 61.6x3. 
in this country was prepared in 1824 by the Superintend- 
ent of this school, Truman Parmelee. 



12 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

In 1811 there was a military company in the village — 
the Independent Infantry Company. In the war of 1812 
some of its members, as well as others, about sixty in all, 

M. H., pp. 107, were enrolled as volunteers, (February, 18 13), and, as a 

112,113. j^g^ company, commanded by Captain William Williams, 

were attached to the 134th Regiment. They were not 
called into battle, but a few other volunteers from Utica 
were in active service in different organizations, and some 
were drafted. 

(For Uticans in the navy, see XI.) 

Pioneers, pp. Soldicrs also oftcu passcd through the village on their 

3°9-3i3- y^Q^y ^Q Qj. fj-Qj^ some military post. 

Commodore Perry visited Utica soon after his victory 
on Lake Erie, and received a public dinner from the citi- 
zens, (Nov. 3, 1 813.) 

The first directory was issued in 1817. It contained a 
Zn7 of tJic American Navy, with the statement, "The 
ships in italics denote vessels captured from the British." 
The second directory was issued in 1828, and the third in 
1829. 

In 18 17 all business was prosecuted below Catharine 

street. Residences were scattered above this point. The 

roadways were unpaved, but sidewalks were made of flag- 

M.H.,p. i2g. ging, cobble, gravel or tan bark, to suit the convenience of 

the householders. 

Forests skirted the village on the south side, above 
South street and east of Third street. Clearings were 
more frequent in the direction of Whitesboro, but the 
forest reached to La Fayette street. 

Between 18 17 and 1825 the Erie canal was construct- 
ed. (See VIII.) 



THE VILLAGE OF UTICA 1 798- 1 832. I 3 

In 1824 the first State Nominating Convention ever 
held in New York met in Utica. It was held by the ^. ^ . , , 

■^ Hendnck s 

"People's Party," which advocated the nomination of Brief Hist, of 
party candidates by such convention of delegates, not by pp_^,\^.^^^^ ^' 
members of the Legislature, and the choosing of Presi- 
dential Electors by vote of the people as is now done, not 
by the Legislature. 

The Convention nominated DeWitt Clinton for Gov- ,, , 

Columbian 

ernor. He was elected by the people, who thus endorsed Gazette,utica, 

.. 1- • r r iU 1 Sept. 14, 1824. 

his policy in lavor 01 the canal. 

June 10, 1825, Gen. La Fayette visited Utica, entering 

the village by the street that now bears his name, and re- Pioneers, pp. 

• • 1 • • f 1 • • 627-630. 

ceiving an enthusiastic welcome from the citizens. 

It is interesting to notice the early efforts of the citizens 
in behalf of the needy and oppressed. In 1824, and again ^^''^'^" "'' 
in 1827, they sent aid to the Greeks suffering from Turkish Columbian 
tyranny, and in 1831 to the Poles, then in their last strug- ^g^^^"pg^,^J^"^ 
gle with Russia. La Fayette, in a letter dated Nov. 29, '827. 
1831, acknowledged the receipt of nearly $1,000. which he 2;^^,;^'^^^^.'^^ 
had promised to transmit for Uticans to the Polish suf- s^pt- =7. '831- 
ferers. 

As early as 18 16 ordinances had been passed to number 
the buildinirs on Genesee street, and affix the names of the ^, ^^ 

" II. H., p. 128. 

streets to the corners. In 1829 other ordinances gave the 
business portion of the village clean streets each week, ^ ' ■'^■'°°- 
while other streets were cleaned once a month. 

The directory of this year tells us : " The first bridges 
across the canal in this town were erected in 1820; the 
first street paved in 1822, viz. — Genesee from the corner of 
Whitesboro street to the Erie canal. 

"Public lamps were first lighted December 29, 1827, 



14 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

viz. — 55 extending from the foot of Genesee street to the 
intersection of Court, and at the corners in other streets." 
In the list of officers of the Town and Village we find 
Bell-ringers, Fence-viewers, Measurers of wood and coal, 
and Pound-masters. 

We may mention here that a little later, in some of the 
city directories, we find Superintendents of the Brother- 
town Indians, also Peace-makers for the Brothertown 

Directonc^s Indians, as well as an Attorney for the Brothertown and 
1832, 1S33, 1S34. ' -^ 

jones'sAnnais Ncw Stockbridgc Indians, and one for the Oneidas. The 
pp. 265-267. Peace-makers were Indians, appointed probably by the 

Governor and Senate, and the office answered in most 

respects to that of Justice of the Peace. 

The Brothertown Indians were remnants of tribes from 

New Jersey, New England and Long Island, who were 

invited by the Oneidas to occupy part of their territory. 
Ibid., p. 890. They began to come before the Revolution, and in 1786 
Dwight'!''' Rev. Samson Occum, an educated Mohegan, brought to 

Travels, Vol. ^{^g vicinity 1 92 members of various tribes, including Mon- 
III, p. 130. 

tanks, Mohegans, and Narragansetts. Their settlements 

lay in the present limits of Oneida County, partly in the 

town of Kirkland, but chiefly in Marshall. 

The Stockbridge Indians were also invited by the Oneidas 

to come from Massachusetts, and arrived at about the same 

Jones'sAnnais . • ^^ • ■, i-»tt /-» • i it 

p. 247. time, settling m Oneida and Madison Counties, and calling 

Ibid., pp. 887-^j^gjj. j^g^ j^Q j^g^ Stockbridge. 

889. ° 

About 1822 the Indians of this region began a migra- 
tion westward which went on for many years. The Bro- 
thertown and New Stockbridge Indians and the main body 

Jones'sAnnais of the Oncidas formed settlements at Green Bay, Wiscon- 

Gridiey's Hist! sin, where they have prospered. A few Oneidas are all 

'lownof Kirk-^j^^|. ^^^ remain in our neighborhood. 



THE VILLAGE OF UTICA — 1798-1832. 15 

Slavery existed in Utica in early times, and slave sales 
were once common, the last announcement of such sales gg^^o^gg.gj^ 
being probably in 1817. In 1820, when there were 10,000^°^''^'^^'*^°™" 

. . . raonwealth of 

slaves m the State, there were only nine in Oneida County, n. v., voi. 11, 
Slavery ceased in the State July 4, 1827. p-s^s- 

In 1798 President Dwight, of Yale College, had traveled Dwight's 
through this part of the State, and says in his Travels :'^^l''-^'J^^y^{ 
" Utica was a pretty village, containing fifty houses." ni, p. 130. 

In 1 83 1 the population was about 10,000, and in Novem-pj^^g^j.^ p g^ 
ber of that year a meetmg of citizens was called to consider Directory, 
the subject of asking the legislature for city privileges. m.h.,p. 1Q7. 



III. 
THE CITY OF UTICA 

FROM ITS INCORPORATION TO THE CIVIL WAR. 

1832-1861. 

UTICA was incorporated as a city by Act of Legislature 
^. .^^ passed February 13, 1832, in accordance with the 

petition of the people. 
The city extended north of the canal, from Third street 
to the grounds now occupied by the State Hospital. South 
of the canal the streets were laid out very much as at 
present, as far as Rebecca (now South) street, on the east 
of Genesee street, and as far as Plant on the west. 

In the summer of 1832, the cholera epidemic, which 
utica Sentinel "^^^^ then raging all over the country, broke out in Utica. A 
and Gazette, general panic prevailed, so that business was almost sus- 
11,25,1832. pended ; the churches and schools were closed, and it is 
M. H., p. 4g8. estimated that fully one-third of the population fled from 
the city. The Mayor, however. General Joseph Kirkland 
(the first Mayor of the new city), remained at his post, 
taking all possible measures to check the spread of the 
pestilence, and to mitigate its horrors, establishing hospi- 
tals for the sick and ministering to the dying. 

THE SLAVERY QUESTION. 

Much interest and excitement was aroused in Utica by 
the Anti-slavery movement. During the years 1 834-5 pub- 
lic meetings were held at which resolutions were passed 
Ibid pp 224-6 denouncing the agitation of the subject, and on the 21st 
of October, 1835, 3- ^i^ob gathered around the Bleecker 
Street (Second Presbyterian) Church, where an Anti- 



THE CITV OF UTICA 1 832-6 1. 1/ 

Slavery Convention was orj^anizin^, and by threats and ^ ^ g^^^^.^ 
violence, forced the Convention to adjourn without trans- in Trans, o.h. 

... S., 1887-g, pp. 

acting any business. Gerrit Smith, then a young man, ^^^.^_ 
was present as a spectator, and his indignation was so great J^^l^'^'^rj^ ^^ 
at the intolerance shown, that he invited the delegates to oernt Smith, 
hold their convention at his home in Peterboro, which they ^'^' ''^^' 
did. 

A year later (winter of 1836-7) great excitement w^as 
caused by the arrest of a fugitive slave, and his trial in 
Utica, during which a mob — this time on the side of the 
oppressed — broke into the court room, during the recess of 
the Court and carried off the prisoner. He was, it is said, m. H.,p.22q. 
sent into Canada by the "underground railroad;" that is, 
by a secret understanding between those whose sympathies 
were with the slave, he was sent on by night from one post 
to another until he reached the border. 

FINANCIAL CONDITION. 

Utica early had a bonded debt, and in October, 1834, it 

•^ M. H., p. 223. 

was obliged to borrow money to meet its current expenses. 

In 1837, there was widespread depression in business j^^j^j^ pp^g^.^. 
and financial distress of which Utica had her full share. 

A very destructive fire added to the calamities of that 
year. Starting from Broad Street, it consumed almost all 
the buildings between Genesee and John Streets, as far as 
Bagg's Square; also many buildings on the west side of 
Genesee Street. 

TRIAL OF MC LEOD. 

In 1 841 occurred the trial of Alexander McLeod, a sol- 
dier in a Canadian regiment, for the murder of an American 
citizen. The case was important, for the trial of a British 
subject by an American court might bring about trouble 
with England. These were the facts : 

In 1837 a rebellion took place in Canada, the conflict 



2 



Wendell's 
Repts , Vol. 25 



18 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

w. H. Sew- being called the Patriot War. A party of insurgents and 

ard's Wks.,Ed. ° i xt t 1 i i /^ j- 

1887, Vol. II. American sympathisers seized Navy Island on the Canadian 
?f ■ ^*V«; ^ side of the Niagara River, and kept up communication with 

Uaniel v\ eb- '^ '■ 

ster's wks., . the American shore by the steamboat Caroline. On the 
VI.', pp^Ji night of December 29, 1837, this boat was destroyed by a 
Roberts' New gj-j^ish forcc from Canada, and an American was killed. 

York, Vol. II., 1 • T-. rr 1 

pp.5901. In February, 1841, McLeod was arrested in Buffalo and 

of'Snie^web- indicted for the murder of an American on this occasion. 
ster(i87oi,voi. Ybg ca.se was finally tried in Utica, October, 1841, before 
m'.'h!pp! ■ ' Judge Philo Gridley, with Joshua A. Spencer counsel 
5424- for McLeod. 

An alibi was proved, and the prisoner acquitted, and 
international complications which might have proved seri- 
ous were thus avoided. 

WASHINGTONIAN MOVEMENT. 

In 1841-43 there was a great interest in the cause of 
temperance, awakened by the "Washingtonian Movement," 
so called because it was supposed to be in line with the 
opinions of Martha Washington, whom it adopted as its 
patron saint. Its motto was "moral suasion," and a 
great change in social customs was effected. 

POLITICAL CONVENTIONS. 

In 1848 several State Conventions were held in Utica, 
three of which were important. The Democracy of the 
State had split into two parties on the subject of slavery 
extension, one party siding with the South and the other, 
the "Free Soilers." opposing the extension of slavery into 
the territories. These took as their motto, "Free trade, 
free labor, free soil, free speech, and free men." 

The National Democratic Convention met at Baltimore 
utica Daily j^ May and nominated Lewis Cass for President. Two 
26,^2^29, 3°. sets of delegates appeared from New York and both were 
'^*^- admitted, which pleased neither. 



M. H., p. 244. 



THE CITY OF UTICA — 1832-61. 19 

The first of the three conventions mentioned above was ^^.^^ j^^^ ^^^ 
that of the Free Soilers, which, on June 22, met in Utica^s, j4, Aug. xx. 
in the Methodist church on Bleecker Strset, and nominated "'^ ' 
Martin Van Buren for President. 

One of the resolutions adopted set forth "the duty to ^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^ 
preserve the extensive territories of New Mexico and Cah- juiy, 1848. 
fornia for a home for the free laborers of the world." 

The outgrowth of this was a larger Free Soil Convention, 
having delegates from various States, which met in Buffalo 
in August and made the same nomination. 

September 13, the other two conventions mentioned ^^.^^ ^^.^^ 
met in Utica at the same hour : a second one held by the Gazette, Sept. 
Free Soilers to nominate Presidential Electors and State '^ '^' '^*^- 
officers; and that of the Liberty Party in Mechanics' Hall. 

The Liberty Party was formed to oppose slavery, and, 
at this meeting, after adopting the resolutions and candi- ghepard's 
dates of the Buffalo Convention, the meeting adjourned, Martin van 
and the delegates marched to the Court House, where the 18^7, pp- s54 69. 
Free Soilers were assembled, and were received as honorary 
members by that Convention. wuson-s Rise 

Thus we see that in Utica were taken some of the steps andjau^onhe 
by which the opponents of slavery were drawing together, ^^ Amerka. 
and which ultimately led to the formation of the Republi-^^^^ ^e^, J^J- 

can party. '''^• 

This movement in New York State resulted in the defeat Von Hoidt's 

,^ Con. Hist, or 

of General Cass, and the election of General Zachary 1 ay- u.s., voi. iii.. 
lor, the Whig candidate, as President. pp- ^'"''*°°- 

MEXICAN WAR, ETC. 

The Mexican War (i 845-1 §48) affected the city but 
slightly, although some Uticans were in the field. (See XL) 

The Irish famine occurred during this period, and large 
contributions were made for the sufferers. 

A series of fires, destroying much property, occurred in 



20 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

1 85 1. They were believed to be the work of incendiaries, 
and the volunteer fire department was implicated. Several 

Utica Daily ,• , n • 

Gazette, Nov.,young men were obliged to flee the city to escape arrest, 
22, 1851. ^^^ ^j^g ^^^g^g brought to trial, convicted of arson in the 

M. H.,p.207. ^^^^ degree (then a capital offence), and executed. In 
consequence of this, the fire department was entirely re- 
organized. 

In this year, (185 i), the great singer, Jenny Lind, visited 
Ibid., p^ 267. Utica and gave a concert in the Bleecker Street Baptist 

Daily Gazette. ° ' 

July 15, 1851. Church. 

The following year, Louis Kossuth, the illustrious Hun- 
garian patriot, was received by a committee of citizens 

Ibid., June 2, 

1852. (June I, 1852), and a public meeting was held in the Mu- 

M. H., pp. 271-2 ggyj^^ which stood on Genesee Street between Elizabeth 
and Bleecker. 

There yet remain in Utica a few of the notes, "good 
for one dollar each, if presented one year after the attain- 
ment of Independence by Hungary", mementos of the 
patriot fund raised during this American visit. 

FINANCIAL DIFFICULTIES. 

The year 18155 ^^^ ^ stormy one, financially considered. 
The city was deeply in debt, and there was no money in 
the treasury to expend on improvements. 

The citizens demanded greater economy, while the Com- 
mon Council proposed to apply to the Legislature to amend 
the charter to enable them to increase the taxes. 

The amendments were secured, but little was done in 
the direction of economy, and in 1857 a crisis was reached. 
The new Common Council found means to bring about a 
repeal of a section of the amendments which made a re- 
duction in expenditures. This was done so hastily as to 
be practically secret. 

When the citizens learned this, there was great indigna- 



THE CITY OF UTICA— 1832-61. 21 

tion. Public meetings were held, and resolutions passed, ^ ^ ^^^ ^^^^ 
demanding the restoration of the section. This was done .3,-8. 
by the Legislature of 1858. 

The continued difficulty in securing efficient and econom- 
ical administration led to an amendment in the charter m^^^^^ ^^ ^^^_ 
1 86 1, making the Aldermen personally hable for all ex- ^^ 
penditures exceeding the amount prescribed by law. 

This provision has never been repealed. 

ANTI-SLAVERY CONVENTION. 

Once more an attempt was made to hold an Anti-Slavery 
Convention in the city, twenty-five years after the disgrace- .p.ee^Di^cu^s^ 
ful tumult which made Gerrit Smith an Abolitionist, it .^ j^^ ,3,,^,. 
was advertised to be held in Mechanics' Hall, January Htpamphiet]. 
and 15, but after the hall had been engaged, the Direc- 
tors of the Mechanics' Association refused to allow it to 
be used for this purpose. 

The Common Council also passed a resolution disapprov- ^^.^^ p^^^^.^ 

ing the meeting. 

A crowd gathered before the hall on the afternoon of the 
14th, and lawless acts were feared. 

It was impossible to hold the meeting in a public place, 
but the delegates and their friends met in a private house 
and transacted business. 

As the city was nearing the end of its third decade, its 
condition was one of great apparent prosperity. It was 
cxrowing rapidly, having more than doubled its population 
since it became a city ; manufacturing interests were large, 
and all looked promising for the future. Immersed in 
business cares or other interests, men seemed to have no 
thought of the clouds that were gathering, or looked upon 
them as temporary shadows that soon would pass away. 



IV. 



UTICA DURING THE CIVIL WAR 



O 



M. H., p. 3C0 
U. Herald, 
Feb. 2, 1861. 



M. H., p. 300. 



I86I-I865. 

N account of the troubled state of the country, a meet- 
ing was held in the City Hall, February i, 1861. 
In general, compromise measures were advocated, 
for men still thought that by such means the Union could 
be saved. 

President Lincoln passed through the City on his way to 
Daily Papers. Washington, February 18, and spoke very briefly from the 
rear platform of the train. 

FIRST AND SECOND ONEIDA COUNTY REGIMENTS. 

Fort Sumter fell April 14. 

April 15, President Lincoln called for 75,000 men for 
three months, and on that day the Utica Citizens' Corps 
"resolved that the Corps will be ready to march at forty- 
eight hours' notice, fully armed and equipped." 

On the same day measures were taken in the City to 
organize a "Volunteer Battalion for Central New York." 

April 20, a public meeting was held to give support to 
the government, and provide means for the destitute fam- 
ilies of volunteers. Over $8,000 was subscribed. There 
was "unbounded enthusiasm and devotion," and a Com- 
mittee on Subscriptions was formed which continued the 
semi.centen- work with energy. 

niai u. c. c, The Corps left Wednesday, April 24, and was the first 
company to report for dut)^ at Albany. 

It was quickly followed by other companies from the 
city and neighboring country, and at Albany, these were 



U. Herald, 
Apr. 16, 186 



U. Herald 
Apr. 16, 18 



U. Herald, 
Apr. 21, i8( 



P- 15- 

U. Herald, 
Apr. 25, 1861 



UTICA DURING THE CIVIL WAR — 1861-65. 23 

united to form the Fourteenth Nezv York Volunteer Regi- 
ment. It was at first called the Corps Regiment. The 
Utica Citizens' Corps became Company A., and its captain, 
James McQuade, was made Colonel of the Regiment. 

Five of its ten companies came from Utica. 

June 17, it started southward, and was the first regiment Address of a. 
to pass through Baltimore after the attack on the ^lassa- ^'^^{^p^^^^j.^^ 
chusetts Sixth, on April 19. Mayi?, iSgs. 

The companies of the Volunteer Battalion left Utica inu. Herald, 
the first days of May. They met at Elmira and formed the ^^^ ^' ^' '^^'• 
Tzventy- Sixth Regiment, New York Volunteers. 

It was recruited and commanded by Col. William H. 
Christian. 

A ladies' meeting to aid the volunteers was held in the 
chapel of the First Presbyterian Church, Friday, May 3, u. Herald, 
and a committee of ladies representing fifteen churches ^^^ '^' '^^'• 
was formed. 

This organization worked steadily throughout the war, u. Herald, 
meeting regularly in the Common Council Chamber in the '^^'^- ^■^' '^^^• 

/-•^ TT 11 J 1 • • June3o,July 2, 

City Hall, and on several occasions entertainments were Dec. 15-17, 1864, 
given to raise funds. ^^^' 

Throughout May and June, flags were raised on the 
school buildings, with speeches and music. 

June 25, a great celebration of all the schools was held u. Herald, 
in Chancellor Square. About 3.000 pupils were present, J^"^^^-'^^'- 
and every school was represented. 

Recruiting went on constantly in the summer and fall 
of 1861. 

In October there were twenty-three recruiting officers in u. Herald, 
Utica, and Oneida County volunteers in fifteen different ''^'"''' 
organizations. 

THIRD ONEIDA COUNTY REGIMENT. 

The organization of the third Oneida County Regiment 



24 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

was begun in September, 1861. It was mustered into 
service at Boonville as the Ninety-SevcntJi New York Vol- 
unteer Regivicnt, February 15, 1862, and passed through 
Utica on its way to the front, March 12. 

It was called the Conkling Rifles, and was commanded 
Address A. B. by Col. Charles Wheelock, of Boonville. It was made up 
Papg/g"^!^^^'^ almost wholly of men from towns bordering on the Adiron- 
19, 189S. dack Wilderness. 

FOURTH ONEIDA COUNTY REGIMENT. 

In July, 1862, in response to the third general call for 

troops, a committee of gentlemen was appointed to aid 

enlistments, and a patriotic meeting was held in the City 

Hall. 

For the week beginning August 25, business places were 

closed at 4 p. m., each day, that every man might work 

to secure enlistments ; and meetings were held almost 

every night. 
M. H.,pp. 311, Liberal bounties were offered by the State and County, 

and advance pay by the national government. 

Under these circumstances, the Fourth Oneida was raised 

and mustered in at Rome, August 20, 1862, as the One 
Address R. Hundred and SeventccutJi N ezv York Vohinteer Regiment, 
Daily Papers, Col. William R. Pease, commanding. It numbered 1,100 
Mar. 23, i8q8. ^nen, and so numerous were the enlistments that it was 

necessary to refuse to receive more. 

Each company had the maximum number, and every 

town in the county was represented. There were Utica 
Ibid. men in five of the companies, and they composed the 

whole of one of these, Co. H. They passed through the 

city August 22. 

FIFTH ONEIDA COUNTY REGIMENT, 

A surplus of nearly two hundred volunteers remained, 



THE CITY OF UTICA I 86 I -65. 25 

when the Fourth Oneida was formed, and the organization 
of a new regiment was at once begun. Address t.m. 

Col. Kenner Garrard of the regular army was given com- Fiandrau, in 

1 1 /^ i 1 • 1 • 1-. 1 Daily Papera. 

mand, and (Jctober ii, it was mustered m at Rome, as the Apr. 13, iSgs. 
One Htmdred and Forty-Sixth Nezv York Regiment. 

RETURNING REGIMENTS. 

Although the President's first call was for three months' 
men, and the quota of the State was less than 13,000, the p^J^^'^'^^'^ 
Legislature, on April 16, 1861, authorized a call for 30, 000 Herald, Apr. 
for two years, to be turned over to the service of the 
United States when required. 

The first two Oneida regiments, therefore, enlisted for 
two years, and May 20, 1863, returned to Utica, where 
they were welcomed with a reception. School children, u. Herald, 
ranged on arches of triumph, sang patriotic songs. Ad- ^.^g f' chace. 
dresses were made, and a banquet was served to the men ^° ^^'^^ 

Papers, May 

m Chancellor Square. 17,1898. 

These regiments belonged to the Army of the Potomac joJ^'g* i^ Dan 
and were in many battles; among them, Antietam, Fred- Papers, Dec. 
ericksburg, andChancellorsville. The list of engagements E.F.wetmore 
in which these and the other Oneida County regiments if ^^'^^ 

•^ ° Pap?rs, Dec. 

took part may be read upon their battle flags. 15, is 7- 

In August, 1863, eight New England regiments passed ofg^^tdc^Frags 
through Utica on their way home from Louisiana and (Pamphlet). 

... . . U. Herald, 

Mississippi, and were hospitably entertained at the depot. Aug. 17, 18, 20, 

22, 2^, 1863. 

A draft was ordered in this year, and carried out in Utica, 321. Daily 

August 25-29. Papers. 

LIFE AT HOME. 

Besides the supplies sent through the Ladies' Aid Society ^- "^raid. 

, ... ^t'^t. 19, Oct. 

to the Sanitary Commission, liberal contributions were 10, 1863 May 3, 
given in the city to the Christian Commission. There was Ig^^ ^' ''' 
also a Utica Freedman's Relief Association. Money was 



U. Herald, 

Dec. I, 15, 16, 

i86i. 

Apr. 18, 1863. 



26 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

also sent to the suffering laborers in England and in Ire- 
land. 

Nor were the thoughts of the citizens wholly taken up 
u. Herald, with such serious matters. They listened to lectures, 

May 18, 1864, . . 1 . - 

etc., Dec. 27, humorous and instructive, and enjoyed photographs of 
u^ Herald streets and buildings, then first exhibited. In 1863 the 
Mar. 10,1863. stereopticon was first shown. The same year the first 
.,p. 3iq g^j.^g^ railroad was put in operation. 

CLOSE OF THE WAR. 

Here as elsewhere, the preparations for celebrating the 
Apr.L^z?! victorious close of the war were interrupted by the news 
'^^5. of the murder of President Lincoln. The funeral train 

M. H., p. 324. 

passed through the city April 26, 1865. Already, on the 
19th, memorial services had been held here, 
mst.^iiyth^^ June 18, the 11 7th Regiment passed through the city on 
22g. its return, and was formally received at the depot, where 

Daggett, in tables Were spread for the refreshment of the men. June 
Daily Papers. 28, they Were mustercd out at Syracuse. 

March 23, 1898. "^ . ■' 

The regiment saw service in Charleston Harbor and in 
Virginia in 1863 and 1864. It took part in the two expe- 
^^^<^- ditions against Fort Fisher, near Wilmington, N. C, in 

the second of which the Fort was captured, (January 15, 
1865, ) and was the first regiment to plant its colors on the 
parapet. 

July 22, the 146th was welcomed home, and August i, 

the 97th came from Syracuse for a similar reception. 

Hist.qyth Reg. The same honors were paid these regiments as had been 

ai y apers. gj^^j^ ^^ ^j^g 14th and 26th two ycars before. Tables were 

spread in Chancellor Square, and addresses of welcome 

made. 

When the 97th — the last one to return — arrived, the old 
M. H., p. 31:5. regiments acted as its escort. 

The 146th was in twenty-two battles, and was three 



THE CITY OF UTICA — I 86 1 -65, 2/ 

times complimented for distinguished gallantry. These 
regiments were in the great battles of Fredericksburg, 
Chancellorsville, Gettysburg and The Wilderness, and were 
present at the surrender at Appomattox. The 97th was 
also at the second Bull Run and Antietam, and took part in Address, t. m. 
the great review of the Army of the Potomac at Washing- o^^y^pa e^s 
ton, at the close of the war. The men of the 97th had ^p*"- '3- iSgs. 

T 1 r 1 • T- 1 r.^ 1 ,, Address, A. B. 

enlisted lor two years, but m February, 1864, nearly all snow, in Daily 
re-enlisted for three years, receiving a thirty days' fur- Pa-pers,Feb.iQ, 
lough and $400. bounty. It served in every year of the 
war, and was in battle under every commander of the 
Army of the Potomac. "In length of service, list of bat- ibid, 
ties, and roll of dead, it stands at the head of Oneida 
County regiments." 

Besides the five regiments already mentioned, the Sec- 
ond Artillery, N. Y. Volunteers, was partially recruited in oen. McQuade 
Utica; as were Bates' Battery and companies of the 14th '° ®^'"'^^"" , 

' J r -T tennial City of 

Artillery, 24th Cavalry, 57th Infantry, and others. Al- utica.pp.22, 47. 
together, as many as thirty-seven regiments contained oneidaco. 
Oneida County men. Nine or ten of the officers attained 
the rank of General. 

In the course of the war there were twelve calls for Phisterer's 
troops, for longer or shorter periods, the number of men ^.,^ ' ^^ '^^' 
required being about 2,500,000. Of these, about 500, 000 ^-^^-p- ^49- 

... •'v. Herald, 

were furnished by New York, and about 10,000 by Oneida juiy 22, 1865. 
County. 

The necessity for more men ceased to exist before most 
of the states had completed their quotas. In Oneida 
County the last two calls were not filled. 

AFTER THE WAR. 

October 21, 1867, a Post of the Grand Army of the Re- 
public was established in Utica, and named Post Bacon. 
For some time it was the only Post. The name commemo- 



M. H., p. 307. 



28 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

rates Adjutant Wlliam K. Bacon, only son of Hon. W. J. 
Bacon. He enlisted in the 14th Regiment and was soon 
transferred to the 26th, of which he became Adjutant. 
He was mortally wounded at Fredericksburg, and died 
three days later, December 16, 1862, aged twenty. 

There are now three other Posts, named respectively for 
Major W. H. Reynolds of the 14th N. Y. HeaVy Artillery ; 
Capt. Tohn F. McOuade, of the 14th N. Y. Infantry; and 

U. Herald, f J ^ > ^ J ' 

Oct. 13, i8gi. Capt. Frederick Harrer, also of the 14th, who was wounded 
and taken prisoner at Gaines Mills, and died in a few days, 
July 13, 1862. 



Daily Papers. 



General Grant visited Utica several times. One of these 
occasions was the meeting of the Army of the Cumberland, 
September 15, 1875, when Gen. Sherman and Gen. Hooker 
were also present. 



Daily Papers. 



October 13, 1891, a Soldiers' Monument was unveiled 
in Oneida Square. 

At Waterville, June 10, 1899, a monument to the Sol- 
Daiiy Papers, dicrs and Sailors of Sangerfield and Marshall, was dedicated 
with appropriate ceremonies. 

The battle-liags of the Oneida County Regiments have 

been given for safe keeping to the Oneida Historical So- 

Daiiy Papers, cicty. Several of these flags had been presented to the 

Presentation . ,,,. ^_-. , .,i ^ii 

of Battle Flags ^"egiments by the ladies of Utica, and one to the 97th by 

(Pamphlet), the ladics of Boonville. Those of the 14th, 26th, 117th, 

146th Infantry, and of the 2d Heavy Artillery, as well as 

the colors of the 5th Corps Headquarters and of the 2d 

Brigade, were received with appropriate ceremonies at the 

Munson-Williams Memorial Building, December 14, 1897; 

and those of the 97th Infantry, similarly, May 10, 1898. 

dard'sAd- The 2d Heavy Artillery "was not strictly an Oneida 

plTers.'^De^c'^ County regiment, and yet we believe that more men served 

'5, 1897. in it from this county and vicinity than in any regiment 



THE CITY OF UTICA 1861-65. 29 

which was org:anized within it and called by its name. Presentation 

° . of Battle 

More than four thousand names were borne upon its Flags, .pam- 
rolls." ^,''^'^' "'■ ''' 

Field Officers of Oneida County Regiments. 

(^Authorities, Reports of Adjutants General, State of New York, 
1866, 1868. Muster Rolls, N. Y. S. Vols. Phisterer's Statist. Record. 
Hists. 97tli and 117th Reg'ts.) 

I4TH N. Y. VOL. INFANTRY. 

(iSt Oneida.) Date of Commission. 

May 17, 1861 — May 24, 1863. 

Colonel. James McQuade, June20, 1861. 

Brevet Maj. Gen. U. S. V., March 13, 1865. 

Lieut. Colonels. (i) Charles H. Skillen, June 24, 1861. 
Killed at Gaines Mills, Va., June 27, 1862. 

(2) Thomas M. Davies, July 21, 1862. 

Majors. (i) Charles B. Young, June 24, 1861. 

(2) Thomas M. Davies, Jan. 3, 1862. 

(3) Lewis Michaels, July 21, 1862. 

26TH N. Y. VOL. INFANTRY. 

(2d Oneida.) 

May 21, 1861 — May 28, 1863. 

Colonels. (i) William H. Christian, June20, 1861. 

(2) Rich'd H. Richardson, Nov. 24,1862. 

Lieut. Colonels. (i) Rich'd H. Richardson, June20, 1861. 
(2) Gilbert S. Jennings, Nov. 29, 1862. 

Majors. (i) Gilbert S. Jennings, June 20, 1861. 

(2) Ezra F. Wetmore, Nov. 29, 1862. 



30 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

97TH N. Y. VOL. INFANTRY. 

( 3d Oneida.) 
February 7, 1862 — July 18, 1865. 

Date of Commission. 

Colonels. (i) Charles Wheelock, Mar. 10, 1862. 

Brevet Brig. Gen. U. S. V. for distinguished 
service on the field of Weldon R. R. (Aug. 19, 
1864). Died Jan. 15, 1865. 

(2) John P. Spofford, Jan. 31, 1865. 
Brevet Brig. Gen. U. S. V., Mar. 13, 1865. 

Lieut. Colonels. (i) John P. Spofford, Mar. 10, 1862. 
(2) Rouse S. Egelston, Jan. 31, 1865. 

Majors. (i) Charles Northrup, Mar. 10, 1862. 

Disabled at The Wilderness, May 6, 1864. 

(2) Rouse S. Egelston, Jan. 31, 1865. 

(3) Delos E. Hall, Jan. 31, 1865. 

II7TH N. Y. VOL. INFANTRY. 

( 4th Oneida.) 

August 20, 1862 — June 28, 1865. 

Colonels. (i) William R. Pease, Aug. 22, 1862. 

Brevet Brig. Gen. U. S. V., Mar. 13, 1865. 

(2) Alvin White, Sept. 5, 1863. 

(3) Rufus Daggett, Aug. 12, 1864. 
For signal service at Chapin's Farm (Sept. 29, 

1864), Brevet Brig. Gen. U. S. V., Jan. 15, 
1865. 

Lic2it. Colonels. (i) Alvin White, Aug. 22, 1862. 

(2) Rufus Daggett, Sept. 5, 1863. 

(3) Francis X. Meyers, Aug. 12, 1864. 
Brevet Colonel for gallant and meritorious ser- 
vices at Fort Fisher (Jan. 15, 1865). 



THE CITY OF UTICA 186I-65 3I 

Date of Commission. 

Majors. (0 Rufus Daggett, Aug. 22, 1862. 

(2) Francis X. Meyers, Sept. 5, 1863. 

(3) Egbert Bagg, Aug. 12, 1864. 
Brevet Lieut. Colonel for gallant and meritori- 
ous services at Fort Fisher (Jan. 15, 1865). 

I46TH N. Y. VOL. INFANTRY. 

(5th Oneida.) 

October 10, 1862 — July 16, 1865. 

Colonels. (0 Kenner Garrard, Sept. 23, 1862. 

Capt. 5th U. S. Cav. 

Brig. Gen. U. S. V., July 23, 1863. 

Maj. Gen. U. S. V., Dec. 15, 1864. 

Maj. 3d U. S. Cav. 

Brevet Maj. Gen., U. S. A., Mar. 13, 1865. 

(2) David T. Jenkins, Aug. 3, 1863. 
Killed at The Wilderness, May 5, 1864. 

(3) James G. Grindlay, Feb. 15, 1865. 
Brevet Brig. Gen., U. S. V., Mar. 13, 1865. 

Lient. Colonels. (i) David T. Jenkins, Oct. 11, 1862. 

(2) Jesse J. Armstrong, Oct. 7, 1863. 

(3) Henry H. Curran, May 18, 1864. 
Killed at The Wilderness, May 5, 1864. He 

was acting Lieut. Col., and his commission as 
such reached his family after his death. 

(4) James G. Grindlay, Feb. i, 1865. 

(5) Peter Claesgens, Mar. 30, 1865. 

Majors. (i) David T. Jenkins, Oct. 2,1862. 

(2) William S. Corning, Oct. 18, 1862. 

(3; Henry H. Curran, Oct. 7, 1863. 

(4) James G. Grindlay, May 18, 1864. 

(5) Peter Claesgens, Dec. 7, 1864. 

(6) Isaac P. Powell, Mar. 30, 1865. 



32 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

2D N. Y. HEAVY ARTILLERY. 

Colonels. (i) Jeremiah Palmer, of Oriskany. 

(2) Gustave Wagner. 

(3) Milton Cogswell, U. S. A. 

(4) J. V. G. Whistler, U. S. A. 

Lieiit. Colonel. Henry P. Roach. 
Majors. Alexander Douel. 

William A. McKay. 



V. 

INDUSTRIAL GROWTH OF UTICA AND 
VICINITY. 

[Data, unless otherwise iudicated, obtained through the kindness of 
Mr. Quentin McAdam, of the Chamber of Commerce.] 

THE importance of the manufacturing enterprises of the 
city and its environs may be appreciated by keeping 
in mind the fact that the various Cotton and Woolen 
Mills, Clothing manufactories, Furnaces, Foundries, 
Knitting mills, Lumber yards. Boiler and Machine shops, 
and other industries, including Agricultural Implements, 
Electrical Supplies and Automobiles, have a capital of more 
than $12,000,000. , and annual sales of $15,250,000., and 
give imployment to 13,523 operatives (7,958 men, 5,565 
women,) with a yearly pay-roll of $4,000,000. 

COTTON AND WOOLEN. 

The Cotton and Woolen industries alone have a capital 
invested of $5, 000, 000., and furnish constant employment to 
5,000 operatives, paying them $2,000,000. annually; 
and the yearly sales of the manufactured product amount 
to $6, 500,000. These are the most important industries 
of Utica. 

The first Cotton mills in the State, as well as the first 

. . H. Hurlburt, 

Woolen mills, were, so far as known, established in the in Trans, o.h. 
town of Whitestown,in the present limits of Oneida County, g''^'^^' ''' ^^' 
The earliest was the Cotton factory which stood nearly Dr. Bagg, in 

r I 1 -11 -KT ^r 1 ^'-11 f Trans. O.H.S. 

on the site of the lower mill at New York Mills, "a teWig 
rods south of the canal above Yorkville." 

The prime mover in this, as in the other early factories of 
the county, was Dr. Seth Capron, who, with others, bought 
3 



Si, pp. 112-24 



34 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

land and water privilege for the mill February 2, 1808. Ben- 
jamin S. Walcott, of Rhode Island, was one of the early 
co-partners who assumed the name "Walcott and Co." They 
began the spinning of cotton yarn November, 1809, the 
first public advertisement dating November 13. Mr. Wal- 
cott soon returned to the East, and Benjamin S. Walcott, 
Jr., who was also one of the stockholders, became Super- 
intendent or Agent. The company was incorporated as 
the "Oneida Manufacturing Society," March 10, 18 10. 

The power loom for weaving cotton was introduced into 
this country in 1812, and first used at Waltham, Mass., 
the process being kept secret as long as possible. It 
w^as discovered, and put in operation in Whitestown in 181 7. 

The Oriskany Manufacturing Society was incorporated 
February 16, 181 1, and within a year began making woolen 
goods on Oriskany Creek, obtaining the finer kinds of wool 
from the Mt. Merino Association, which maintained nu- 
merous flocks of costly sheep on Dr. Capron's farms at 
Deerfield. The wool industry was very profitable during 
the war with England ; but when importations were re- 
sumed on the return of peace, prices fell, and great losses 
were suffered. 

The New Hartford Manufacturing Society was incorpo- 
rated bv special act, March 30, 18 10, to make cotton and 

Ibid, p. 119. J tr ' -> ' ' 

H.Huriburt, in woolen cloths ; but apparently only cotton goods were 
Jzrglvv- 55. made. The property was ultimately purchased by the New 
^*- Hartford Cotton Manufacturing Company, organized 1870. 

Ibid, p. ;6. The Capron Cotton Manufacturing Company was incor- 

Trans^o'ns po^ated April 5, 18 14. The present name is the Utica 
i88r,pp.i2o, 121. Cotton Manufacturing Company. Its capital is $100,000. 
The "Whitestown Cotton and Woolen Manufacturing 
Ibid, p. 119 Society" was organized January 13, 1813. It was known 
J. Harris, in a.lso as Walcott's Factory; and as the Buhr-stone Factory, 
i887-Tp-57- ^^rom the fact that the French Buhr mill-stones were used 



INDUSTRIAL GROWTH OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 35 

in it. It was the outgrowth of a grinding or grist mill ^ ^^^^^^^ 
built in 1796, which stood near the line between New Apr. i, 1890. 
Hartford and New York Mills, above all the present struc- ^^^p"^''^'^^^ 
tures of New York Mills. Benjamin S. Walcott was themoriai.) 
superintendent of the change from a grist mill to a cotton 
factory. 

In 1 824, Mr. Walcott, as agent of Benjamin Marshall of 
New York, erected a large five-story mill in what is now 
New York Mills, for the manufacture of fine shirtings, "the 
first attempt made in the country at producing yarns of 
the finer grades." The name New York Mills was assumed 
in 1840. In 1856 the firm Walcott and Campbell was 
established (W. D. Walcott and S. Campbell), and in 
1884 the change was made from a co-partnership to the 
corporate form. The capital stock is now $ i , 000, 000. , the 
three large cotton mills employing more than 3,000 opera- 
tives ; and 120,000 spindles and 27,000 looms are actually 
working. 

The first builder of cotton and woolen machinery in this 
State, west of the Hudson, was Oliver G. Rogers, who 
came from Rhode Island early in the century, and estab- ^l'^^^^'^ 
lished a factory at Willowvale about 18 17. For the next 
ten years he supplied the factories of the vicinity with their 
machinery. 

Coming now to the City of Utica, we learn that about 
the year 1846, Mr. B. F. Cooper published a series of let- 
ters in the U/zca Daily Gazette, setting forth the value of 
the city as a site for manufactories, and boldly proclaiming 
the idea of the superior value of steam for manufacturing 
purposes over water-power. In a short time capital was 
secured and a company formed. This was the beginning 
of the Utica Steam Cotton Mills. The company was 
incorporated February 17, 1847, and the actual manufact- 



M. H., p. 603. 



36 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

ure of cotton began in 1850. The capital has increased 
from $120,000. to $690,000., with a surplus of $400,000. 

In this industry we may mention also the Mohawk Val- 
ley Cotton Mills (organized 1880, capital $1,000,000.), the 
Skenandoa Cotton Company (1881), which manufactures 
yarns for fine hosiery and for knit goods, (capital $600,000. , 
surplus $400,000.), and the Utica-Willowvale Bleaching 
Company, whose works are at Chadwicks (capital $250,- 
000. ). 

The Utica Steam Woolen Mills, incorporated 1846, man- 
ufactured broadcloth, etc, up to 1877. 

The Utica Globe Mills Company was formed in 1847, 
and was succeeded, in 1855, by the Utica Woolen Mills, 
which name was afterwards changed to the Globe Woolen 
Mills. Its capital is $300,000., with a very large surplus. 

CLOTHING. 

Second in importance ranks the manufacture of Cloth- 
ing. In this industry Utica stands third among the cities 
of the State, New York being first and Rochester second. 
The industry dates back to 1836, and thirteen different 
establishments have made Utica a centre in this branch of 
industry. Their total capital is $2,500,000., and 4,500 
operatives are employed, with a yearly pay-roll of $640,000. 
and a yearly sale of $3,500,000. 

FURNACES. 

The third industry of importance is that of Furnaces, 
which dates from 1832. In the fall of 1898, all but two of 
the companies in this business were consolidated, and com- 
bined with two companies of Syracuse, with the name of 
the International Heater Company. It is understood that 
the allied capital is $1,800,000. They give employment 
in Utica to 700 men, with a yearly pay-roll of $450,- 
000., and a yearly sale of furnaces, stoves, and heating 
apparatus of $1,200,000. 



INDUSTRIAL GROWTH OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 3/ 

KNIT GOODS. 

The fourth place may be assigned to the Knit Goods 
manufacture, originated in 1863 for the manufacture of 
stockings for the army during the Civil War. There are 
eight or more important companies, including one at 
Whitesboro. The total invested capital of the companies 
approximates $1,000,000., furnishing employment to 1,700 
hands, with a yearly pay-roll of $538,000., and sales of 
$2, 160,000. 

Incidental to this manufacture may be mentioned the 
Scotch Cap Industry. 

LUMBER. 

In the business of Lumber, nine firms and corporations 
are engaged, the Charles C. Kellogg and Sons Company 
being the most important. Of these, two do a large 
wholesale trade, and one is extensively engaged in the 
manufacture of sash, doors, blinds and boxes. It has 
been estimated that 18,000,000 feet of lumber are hand- 
led. The amount of capital invested is $300,000. The 
hands employed number 290, with a yearly pay roll of 
$150,000., and sales of $1,000,000. 

FOUNDRIES. 

Another greatly diversified industry is that of the foun- 
dry interests. In this line we may mention the following : 

The Utica Pipe Foundry Compan}^ with a capital of 
$120,000. The capacity of the works is 75 tons of fin- 
ished product per day, requiring the services of 150 work- 
men. The annual sales amount to $300,000. 

The J. H. Williams Company, which manufactures all 
kinds of mill supplies, and has a capital of $125,000. 

The Savage Repeating Arms Company, which has a 
capital limited to $250,000. 



38 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

MERCANTILE ASSOCIATIONS. 

In July, 1879, a meeting of citizens to encourage manu- 
factures was held at the Butterfield House. At this meet- 
ing it was stated that cotton goods from this city were sent 
to Constantinople, snd locomotive lamps to Australia, 
New Zealand, and South America. An association was 
formed, under the title of the Utica Manufacturing and 
Mercantile Association, to encourage the manufacturing and 
other business interests in and about the city of Utica. 
The first officers were Addison C. Miller, President ; John 
D. Keinan, Philo S. Curtis, Edmund A. Graham, Vice 
Presidents ; Edward Curran, Treasurer ; James F. Mann, 
Secretary. 

May 15, 1896, the Utica Chamber of Commerce was or- 
ganized, and incorporated September 2, of the same year. 
The present President (Nov. 1899) is John C. Hoxie; 
Secretary, Correl Humphrey. Its object is to foster the 
business institutions of the city, to induce new enterprises 
to locate in or near it, and to promote the general welfare 
of Utica. The Chamber has twice sent delegates to the 
Indianapolis Monetary Convention, and is a member of 
the National Board of Trade. It has a membership of 
over four hundred. 

The Homestead Aid Association, incorporated 1884, has 
been of great value in helping working men and women to 
secure their own homes. 

The following industries, established in earlier days, are 
still important : 

White's Pottery, established about 1828, by Noah White 

and his son Nicholas A. White, on the site of one still ear- 

M. H., pp. 277, lier^ was one of the first in this region. The manufacture 
278. 

of fire brick was peculiar to it. 



INDUSTRIAL GROWTH OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 39 

From the same time date the first steam engines made 

Ibid, Pt. II., 

in Utica, which were manufactured by Philo S. Curtis. p. 19. 

In especial we must mention the early use of the Tele- 
graph in the Mohawk Valley. This was due to the fore- 
sight of Theodore S. Faxton (1793-1881). His name is 
associated with those of Silas D. Childs (1794-1866), and g^j^g^^g^^^^' 
John Butterfield (1801-1869), and earlier with that of 41-4. 

-' V ^/ . M. H., Pt. II. 

Jason Parker (d. 1830) in the transportation business, pp. 9-13, 156-8, 
fsee VIII.), and he was afterwards prominent in the man-?5.^' 

^ ' r Pioneers, p. 

agement of railroads, manufactories and banks. In 1845-6503. 

he, with John Butterfield and others, formed the " Newp .„. 

York, Albany and Buffalo Telegraph Company," and laid 

down the first telegraph line that passed through this val-f^-^'^"^^^""' 

° ^ ^ o m Geog. Jour- 

ley. This was also the first line of commercial import- nai, (London) 

ance, and was preceded only by a short route between " 

Baltimore and Washington two years earlier. (See XL, 

Morse and Chubbuck.) 

BANKS. 

The first Bank established in Utica was the Manhattan, pioneers, p. 
a branch of the Manhattan Bank of New York. It was!"',, 

M. H , p. 569. 

established in 1809, and continued till 181 8. 

The first purely local bank was the Bank of Utica. It 
was incorporated June i, 18 12, began business in Decem- 3i4°"^^'^'''' 
ber of that year, and became the First National Bank of ^- h., p- 570. 
Utica, September i, 1865. 

Besides this, and passing over others which had only a 
temporary existence, we name the following which have 
been permanent : 

Oneida Bank, incorporated May 13, 1836; began busi- 

M. rl,, p. 581. 

ness Nov., 1836; became Oneida National Bank, July i, 
1865. 

Utica City Bank, incorporated April 8, 1838, but not 
opened till Sept. 1, 1848 ; became National Bank, May. 
1865. 



Ibid, p. 590 
Pioneers, p. 491 



40 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

Oneida County Bank, organized 1853. 
Ibid, p. 583. Second National Bank, incorporated December 10, 

1863 ; began business February, 1864. 

A. D. Mather and Company's Bank, established March, 
1866 ; organized as a State Bank, November, 1890. 

Utica Savings Bank, incorporated 1820, but not in op- 
ibid, p. 585. eration till 1839, when a new charter was procured (July 
26). 

The banks of Utica are liberal to the merchants, and 
thus have greatly helped in their prosperity. 

Although the business of the city has had periods of dif- 
ficulty, notably during the crisis of 1837 (see III.), when 
M. H.,p. 578. some of its banks failed and the rest suspended specie pay- 
ment for seven or eight months, its advance for the last 
thirty, and especially the last fifteen, years, if not rapid, 
has been steady, and unusually free from drawbacks; and 
the closing years of the century disclose a prospect full of 
promise. 

For the full record of Utica's able business men, includ- 
ing, in addition to those already named, Abraham Varick, 
John C. and Nicholas Devereux, Alfred Munson, Montgom- 
ery Hunt, Henry Huntington of Rome, and many others, 
down to our own day, the reader is referred to the inter- 
esting accounts in Dr. Bagg's Pioneers of Utica and Me- 
morial History, and to D. E. Wager's pamphlet, Men of 
Early Rome. 

CHEESE PRODUCTION. 

New York is the greatest cheese producing State in the 
chees2 Indus- Uuiou, and Oneida stands at the head of its counties in 
tryof N. Y., j-|^jg respcct, taking the place which Herkimer County for- 

PP. 1454, 57- 1 u 1J 

merly held. 
Ibid, p. 36. Here the first cheese factory was started bv Tesse Wil- 

U. Herald, . _ ,\- . ^ . 

juneg, i8gs. Hams, in the town of Rome, m 185 1. The Utica Dairy 



INDUSTRIAL GROWTH OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 4I 

Board of Trade was organized in May, 1871, closely follow- 
ing that at Little Falls, which was the first of such boards, cheese indus- 
try, p. 34. 
For the last ten years, until the present season, the ibid, pp. 35, -.i. 

amount of cheese marketed here has shrunk, following the 
general decline in the trade throughout the country, but 
Utica continues to be, as it has been from the start, the 
greatest cheese market in the interior of the country. Its 
heaviest transactions were in 1889 (number of boxes, it»id, pp. 34,35. 
441,386), while the sales brought in the largest amount of 
money in 1887 ($2,41 5, 581.}. During the season of 1899, 
the amount of cheese marketed in Utica has probably been 
heavier than for any season during the five years pre- 
ceding. 



VI. 
THE SPANISH WAR. 

OUR latest history brings us once more to a period of 
war. While men and women were collecting funds 
and supplies for suffering Cubans, more efficient" re- 
lief was at hand. 

April 25, 1898, Congress declared a state of war to ex- 
Daiiy Papers, ist between the United States and Spain, dating the be- 
ginning from April 23, when Spain dismissed the United 
States Minister. 

April 22, the President had approved the Volunteer Army 
bill passed by Congress, and on the 23d, he issued a call 
for 125,000 men for two years. The quota for New York 
Ibid. was about 12,000, — 12 regiments of infantry and two troops 

of cavalry, the infantry to be chosen from the National 
Guard. 

COMPANY E. 

April 26, the members of the two Utica companies, the 
28th and the 44th Separate Companies, N. G. S. N. Y., 
were given opportunity to volunteer, and a large majority 

Ibid *-*^ each company responded. The 44th was chosen, re- 

ceiving its orders April 27. This company represented the 
Utica Citizens' Corps. (See III. and IV.) 

It left the city May 2, amid the enthusiastic demonstra- 
tions of the citizens, its destination being Camp Black, 
Hempstead Plains, Long Island. Additional men followed 

u. Herald, May 1 4 and June 22. May 20, the Company was muster- 
ed into service as Co. E., of the First New York Provis- 
ional Regiment, Colonel Thomas N. Barber, commanding. 
The company was commanded by Captain Lewis E. 



THE SPANISH WAR. 43 

Goodier; and after he had accepted the appointment oi ^^.^^^^^^^ 
Major in the 203d Regiment, by Captain Arthur W. Pick- .8,8. 

^^An officer of this company was appointed Aide on the ^^_^^^^^^ ^^^ 
staff of Gen. King, and sailed with him for Manila early ^^^^ ^^ggs. 

in November. 

From Camp Black, the regiment was transferred in June ^^^ ^^^^^ 
to the Forts in New York Harbor, Co. E. going to t^ ort ^^_ ^ '^^ 
Hamilton, and thence to San Francisco, July 7- Reach- 
ing San Francisco July 14 and i 5, the regiment was placed 
in the Department of the West, and assigned to garriso n ib'^^^ I- ^^ - 
duty at Honolulu; the Hawaiian Islands having been 
placed in this military department by order of the War ^^^^ ^^^ ,^^ ,3, 
Department, July 11. The regiment sailed for Honolulu ^8,8. 
August II, arriving August 17. 

While in San Francisco, the men received great kindness ^ ^^^^^^^^^ 
from Lieut. Col. Oscar F. Long, (Capt. U. S. A.), Depot au... ^-,8. 
Quartermaster ; a native of Utica and once a member of ^ug. X4. xSgg. 
the Utica Citizens' Corps. His efficiency and his thought- 
ful care for the Utica men received high praise and hearty 
gratitude. 

COMPANY G. 

Under the second call for troops (75,000 for two years), ^ ^^^^,^^ 
the quota for New York was about 8, 000, -three regi- J- .8,., 
ments of infantry and three batteries of artillery. The i^d, juiy 6. 
20ist, 202dand'203d Regiments were raised under this ^^,8. 

call. 

The enlistment was open to all, and thus the 28th Com- 
pany, which had volunteered ninety-two per cent, of its j^^^ ^j^y ,5, 
members in April, could not enter active service as an or- ^s^.^^- ^^^ ^^_ 
ganization ; but a large number of its members volunteered ,3,8. 
in the company recruited from Oneida County under Cap- 
tain Charles Shaver Horsburgh. This became Co. G.. 



44 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

203d New York ReHment, Colonel Walter S. Schuyler 

Daily Papers. . -^ 

commanding. It was mustered into service at Syracuse, 

July 19, 1898, and left for Camp Black the same day. 

Sept. .11, the regiment was moved to Camp Meade, 

Ibid, Sept. 22, near Harrisburg, Pa., and thence, Oct. 2, to Camp Cone- 

1808. . , _ 

capt. Hors- wago m the Conewago Valley. At Camp Meade it be- 

Hlrlid! Apr Came part of the 2d Army Corps. Nov. 1 1 it was moved 
25 iSgg to Camp Wetherill, Greenville, S. C. 

U. Herald, 

Sept. 24, iSgS 

Mar. 28, 1899. COMPANY K. 

July 25, Major Joseph H. Remmer began to recruit a 
company for the 202d Regiment in Utica. July 30, fifty 
men under his command left the city for Buffalo, the 
Daily Papers rendczvous of the regiment. The company became Co. 
u. Herald, K., and August 2, followed Co. G., of the 203d, to Camp 
Capt. Remmer Bl9-ck» and Sept. 12 to Camp Meade. Nov. 30 the regi- 
in u. Herald, n^gnt left for Savannah, Ga. , and Dec. 6, sailed for 

Apr. i8, iSgg. 

Havana, landing Dec. 10. It was the first body of United 
States troops to enter the city. It was commanded by 
Colonel Stephen Y. Seyburn, (Captain U. S. A.). 

WAR RELIEF ASSOCIATIONS. 

Meantime, with the first note of war, organizations were 
formed to care for the welfare of the soldiers and their 
families. 

The Oneida County War Committee was organized in 
Apr. 26, 1898. the rooms of the Chamber of Commerce, April 26, 1898, 
^id^A^ ^*'"' and during the war expended more than $2,000. for Oneida 
i8gg. county men in the field. 

The Women's War Relief Association of Oneida County 
was formed in the Auditoriutu of the New Century Club, 

U. Herald. . . . ... 

May 2, 1898 April 30. At its annual meeting, when it disbanded, its 

^g' ■' ^^ '^' work completed, the treasurer reported disbursements 

amounting to more than $1,100. The association also 



THE SPANISH WAR. 45 

sent to different camps eleven boxes of supplies, averaging 
in value $ioo each. 

The Oneida Chapter of the Daughters of the American 
Revolution joined in the hospital work undertaken by the 
national organization at Washington, and sent one nurse 
for service. The Chapter also contributed largely in 
money and supplies, the estimated total amount being 
about $1,200. 

In June a third women's society was formed, auxiliary iwd., June 25, 
to the Women's National War Relief Association. ' ^ 

The Board of Managers of St. Luke's Hospital offered 
the War Department, through Congressman Sherman, ac- ibid., Aug. 30, 
commodations for 75 sick soldiers, but this help was not '^^^' 
considered necessary. 

St. Elizabeth's Hospital gave gratuitous care to four 
soldiers, and received a fifth at reduced rates. 

NURSES. 

Utica sent ten women as nurses to the army hospitals. 
They were Mrs. Emma Keith Booth, Miss Justine Clemens- ibid., Sept. 30, 
son, Mrs. A. Hannahs and Miss Mary E. Hannahs, Miss ^ec. 20, tsjs. 

. -^ . Ibid., Sept. 6, 

Josephine Shue, Miss Florence Wright, three Sisters ofiSgg. 
Charity from St. John's Orphan Asylum, and one from St. 
Joseph's Infant Home. Three or four other women, for- 
merly of Utica or vicinity, did similar service. 

Dr. J. M. Sweeney, a practising physician of Utica, vol- . ^ 
unteered as an immune from yellow fever, and served sev- iSgS. 
eral months at Santiago, Cuba. 

Charles C. Bangs, a native of Oneida County, who when 
young had served under the Christian Commission in the , ., . 

J ^ Ibid., Aug. 26, 

Civil War, became a nurse of the Red Cross Society in isgs. 
April, 1898, and died in the work at Santiago early in 
August. 

Thirteen men of Co. G, 203d Regiment, volunteered as 



U. Herald 
Jan. i6, i8q 



46 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

capt. Hors- Durscs vvhilc at Camp Black, and were sent to Montauk 

burg:h inU. pQi^t 
Herald, Apr. 
25, iSgq. 

RETURN OF THE TROOPS. 

Ibid., Dec. 26, Ofdcrs for the return of Co. E. reached Honolulu 
J. S.Cole in at Thanksgiving time. The men left for home Dec. 8, and 
reached Utica on Christmas Day, after 238 days of service. 
About twenty men, delayed by sickness, arrived later. 

A month afterwards, Jan. 25, 1899, a banquet was given 
the company by the citizens of Utica, at the Armory. Gen. 
Daily Papers, j^ggpj^ Wheeler, U. S. A., was a distinguished guest. 

The company was mustered out at the Armory, Feb. 23, 
1899. 

u. Herald, Co. G. was mustcrcd out of service at Greenville, S.C., 

Mar. 28, 1899 March 25, 1899, and reached Utica, March 27. 

Co. K. left Cuba about the middle of March, was 

Ibid., Apr. i8, 

iSgg. mustered out at Savannah, Ga. , and reached home 

April 17. 

The return of these companies was celebrated April 24, 
Daily Papers, by a parade, a banquet in the Masonic building, and a ball 

in the Armory. 

Besides those in the three Utica companies, about 105 
u Herald Oneida County men served during the war. Twenty-one 
Apr. 29,1899. of these belonged to the 9th U. S. Infantry, and nine were 

in the Navy. 

Four men of the Utica Companies died in the service. 
u Herald J- Harry Read of Co. E., at San Francisco, August 9, 
Aug. 10, i8q8. 1898; C. Harry Thompson, who left Utica with Co. E. , 
1898.' but was transferred to Co. H., at Honolulu, Oct. 15, 1898 ; 

1^8^' ^°''- ''• Corporal O. Ross Wheeler of Co. E., at Honolulu, Nov. 
Ibid., Sept. 29, 7, 1898 ; Nicholas Schug of Co. G., at Philadelphia, Sept. 

28, 1898. 



THE SPANISH WAR. 4/ 

Six Oneida County men belonging to other organizations 
have also died in the Spanish and Philippine wars, includ- 
ing one who perished in the destruction of the Maine. 

May 24, 1899, medals were presented by the Oneida 
County War Committee to the men of Oneida County who 
had served in the Spanish war. The ceremony took place °*'^^ Papers, 
in the Armory, and each soldier received a bronze medal 
bearing his name. About 350 medals were given. They 
were distributed by the President of the Women's War 
Relief Association, other ladies assisting. 

o 

The guest of honor on this occasion was Capt. Charles 
S. Sigsbee, U. S. N., of the battleship Texas, the former 
commander of the Maine, and the audience heard from his 
own lips the story of the destruction of the ship. 

Mr. T. R. Proctor, President of the Oneida County War 
Committee, gave the young men an address of welcome, 
closing with the words: "Be good citizens, and do what 
you can to improve the town in which you live. Let it be 
said of you when you are gone that the town is better for 
your having lived in it." 



T^] 



VII. 
CENTENNIAL CELEBRATIONS. 

'HE following Centennial Celebrations have been held 
in the towns of Oneida County : 
Mr. E.J. Bar- Auousta. Presbyterian Church ; organized as a Con- 
thoiomew, gregational Church, September 7, 1797. Became Presby- 

Augusta. ° 

terian 1866. Celebration, October 26, 27, 1897. 
Brookfieid Brid^ewatcj'. Congregational Church ; organized 

Courier, July " 

6,1898. March 8, 1798. Celebration, June 29, 1898. 

One Hundred Cauidcn. Congregational Church ; organized February 
Years ist j^^ 1 798, at Paris Hill, consisting of eight persons who 
Camden, pp. were " about to move to Fish Creek, in the township of 
"' '^' Mexico," now Camden. Celebration, February 22, 1898. 

Kirkland. Settlement of Clinton by Moses Foote and 
Hist., Town of others, March, 1787. Celebration, July 13, 1887. Pres- 
utici'^Daii^^' ident Cleveland, whose boyhood was in part spent in the 
Papers village, was the guest of honor. 

First Church of Clinton ; organized as a Congregational 

Church by Dr. Jonathan Edwards the younger, August, 

Gridiey's 1 70 1 , the Same month in which he organized the churches 

Hist., pp. 93 Q. / >' ' c 

Cent. Anniv'y at New Hartford and Paris. Became Presbyterian 1864. 
A*\^Norton. Rcv. Asahcl S. Nortou ordained and installed first pastor, 

September 18, 1793. Celebration of this latter event, 

September 27, 1893. 
XT „ . ^ . Neiu Hartford. Settlement by Jedediah Sanger, March, 

N. Hart. Cent. -^ -* 

Trans. O.H.S., 1788. Celebration, Juuc 27, 1888. 

'8879. Presbyterian Church ; organized as Congregational 

Cent. Day, Church by Dr. Jonathan Edwards the younger, August 27, 
Pres. ch. N. j^qj Scrviccs held in Tedediah Sanger's barn. The 

Hart., p. ig. ' ^ -' . 

Society had organized June 6, under the name " First Re- 



CENTENNIAL CELEBRATIONS. 49 

ligious Society in Whitestown. " Rev. Dan Bradley or- 
dained first pastor, January ii, 1792. As there were no J^>^-' p- 'S- 

^ -^ •' . Ibid., pp. 22, 23. 

churches in the vicinity which could be called as a Council 
•for his ordination, the services took place in Connecticut, 
a committee of the Church taking the long winter journey . ., „ 

*-' *-* ^ *- iJLU., p. 22, 

to be present at the occasion. Church became Presby- 
terian, 1 80 1. Celebration, August 27, 1891, including 
service in the old barn. 

Paris. Congregational Church ; organized by Jonathan 
Edwards as ' ' the second Church of Christ in Whites- ^^^^ ^^ ' 
town," August 29, 1 79 1. Celebration, August 29, 1891. 

St. Paul's Church (Episcopal) ; organized February 13, u. Daily Press 

^ "^ ^ ' ° ■' ^ June 17, i8g7. 

1797. Celebration, June 16, 1897. 

Already, October i, 1880, the Paris re-interment had Trans, o. h. 

, • .1 • -n S., i88i, pp. 52- 

taken place m this village. S2. 

Colonel Isaac Paris (i 761- 1790) is remembered as the 
large-hearted merchant of Fort Plain who, in 1789, sent 
prompt and generous help to the almost starving settlers of 
Clinton. Three years later (1792) a new township in- 
cluding Clinton was formed from Whitestown, and the 
people gave it the name of their benefactor. In our own 
day, the old cemetery at Fort Plain having been aban- 
doned, the suggestion was made and accepted of removing ^^^^^^, ^^^^_ 
the remains of Colonel Paris to that part of the old town Town of Paris, 
of Paris which still bears his name. The plan was carried 
out under the auspices of a committee from Kirkland, 
Marshall, and Paris, the towns once included in that of 
Paris, and the dust of this early friend was laid to rest in 
the burial ground of St. Paul's Church, with religious serv- 
ices and commemorative addresses. 

Jor.es's Annals 

Rome. First Methodist Church ; class organized 1799. p. sqs 

_ , , . T- , o U. Herald, 

Celebration, February 3-5, 1899. Feb. 4,i8gg. 

Sansreriield. Baptist Church of Waterville. Council ^ ,^ 

o J t: \j _ Herald, 

to give Church Fellowship December 15, 1798. Church Dec. 20, isgs. 
4 



50 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

took the name " First Baptist Church of Sangerfield." 
Celebration, December 19, 1898. 
Jones' Annals Tientoit. Town Organized from Schuyler, Herkimer 

P-7-. ... 

u. Herald, Couutv, March24, 1797. Celebration in village, Decem- 

Dec. 9-II, 13, 

i8q7. ber 9, 10, II, 1897. 

Jones' Annals tt- • r^t i-.ir^i, c i- 

p. 469. The first Unitarian Church m the State was formed m 

Pioneers, p. 92. ,-, ^ , , o«- 

One Hundred freuton about 1805. 

Jtyc-^^,llt' Utica. Trinity Church ; organized by Rev. Philander 
?une^5-X'8'98 Chase, 1798 (see II.). Celebration, June 15, 16, 1898. 
Cent. Anniv. Wcstniorelaud. Congregational Church ; organized 
we^tmfre^ " September 20, 1792. Celebration, September 20, 1892. 
j^ones' Annals Mcthodist Episcopal Church ; class org?, ized probably 
Rev.^E°B. between 1795 and 1798. Celebration, October i, 2, 

Cauidwell, ,0^- 

Westmore- loy^. 

^^"^ WJiitcstoivn. Settlement by Hugh White, June, 1784. 

Whitestown ./ o j 

cent.inTrans. Celebration, Junc 5, 1884. 

°88iM.^' Presbyterian Church; organized April i, 1793, as the 

United Society of Whitestown and Old Fort Schuyler, 

Apr. 3, i8g-i. " whose name is still perpetuated." Rev. Bethuel Dodd 
installed first pastor, August 21, 1794. (See I. and II.). 

Ibid, June "^Celebration, April i, 1893. 

Baptist Church; organized June 18, 1796. Celebra- 
tion, June 18, 1896. 

Oneida Coiinty. Formed from part of Herkimer 

Jones nna=, ^-^^^^^^ March 1 5, 1798. Celebration by Oneida His- 

pioneers,p.79-tQj.j(,al Socicty in Muuson-Williams Memorial Building, 

Daily Papers. ' 

Utica, March 15, 1898. 



VIII. 

HISTORY OF TRANSPORTATION. ROUTES OF 

TRAVEL 

INDIAN TRAILS. 

THE Indians made their journeys entirely over trails and 
natural water ways, and these the white settlers also 
were at first obliged to use. 
The trails of this locality were as follows : one from 
Oneida Castle and another from the Oneida carrying place, 
both of which led east and crossed each other at the foot 
of what is now Genesee Street. Continuing, one trail kept 
to the south of the river down the valley ; the other branch- 
ed on the north side of the ford, one branch leading down 
through Schuyler to the east, while the other extended 
north through the Black River country. 

RIVER NAVIGATION. 

Between the Atlantic seaboard and the great lakes, there 
was a direct route by way of the Hudson and Mohawk Riv- 
ers to the present site of Rome, and from that point by a ^^ager'^^His^- 
short portage of about a mile to Wood Creek, whence the 20. 
route lay down the stream to Oneida Lake, to the Oswego 
River, to Lake Ontario and the West. 

In the last century the Mohawk was a stream of much 
greater volume than at present. It was an important factor 
in commerce even after the roads in the vicinity of its 
upper course claimed the name of highways, and was nav- m. H.,p. 361. 
igable for vessels of light tonnage from Schenectady to 
Fort Stanwix. In ascending, the river was not dangerous, 
but the descent, over the rocky bed with its numerous 



52 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

shallows, was attended with much danger of staving the 
boat. 

In 1796, navigation was greatly facilitated by an incor- 
porated compan}' known as the Western Inland Lock Navi- 
gation Company, the purpose of which was to construct a 
canal and locks around the Little Falls on the Mohawk, 
and a canal across the carrying place at Rome, and to clear 
of obstructions Wood Creek and the waters beyond. 

PASSENGER BOATS. 

Previous to 1807, a line of boats was established to carry 
produce, and three stage boats were added for passengers. 
A weekly line plied between Schenectady and Cayuga. In 
M. H.,p. 362. 1 8 12, stage boats were traversing the waters twice each 
week between Utica and Schenectady. The time allowed 
for a trip was twenty-four hours. 

STATE OR TURNPIKE ROADS. 

The first state road from Albany to Utica was con- 

Pioneers. p. 

104. structed in 1794, though as late as 1800 it was almost 

impassable. 

GENESEE TURNPIKE. 

The section of road from Utica west to the Genesee 
River was completed in 1794. It was known as the Gen 
M. H.,p. 367. esee Turnpike, and led through White's Town, Oriskany, 
Fort Stanwix, etc. It was built by the inhabitants living 
along the line of the road. 

The same year legislative action was taken to con- 
struct a road from Albany to Utica. The Mohawk 
Turnpike and Bridge Company was awarded the contract 
Burton's Hist, to build a scction of ten miles of road on the north side of 

Herk. Co.,p. ^^le rivcr. It was built in an expeditious but unsubstantial 
214. ^ 

manner, of the materials found along the line, and the 
work proved unsatisfactory. 



HISTORY OF TRANSPORTATION ROUTES OF TRAVEL. 53 

SENECA TURNPIKE. 

In 1800, a charter was granted the Seneca Turnpike 
Company to construct a road from Utica to the western 
part of the State, by way of New Hartford, Kirkland, Ver- 
non, Oneida Castle, etc. 

It followed the line of the Indian trail, but was less cir- m. h., p. 368. 
cuitous. The road leading across the Mohawk between 
Utica and Deerfield was also straightened and otherwise 
improved at this time by the Seneca Turnpike Company. 

The building of these great thoroughfares gave Utica 
much importance as a commercial center. 

MAIL AND STAGE SERVICE. 

In 1 792, Congress gave much attention to extending post 
roads, and a mail route was established between Albany 
and Whitesboro, though at this time it was conducted as 
a private enterprise which employed Jason Parker to de- 
liver the mail along the entire route regularly, as often asMunson's An- 
twice each month. The roads were rough, and the jour-°^'®°^'^"'^°y 

" _ ■' Vol. I, p. 248. 

ney was made sometimes on horseback, sometimes on 
foot. 

In 1 793, a stage line was established, and passengers were 
carried from Albany to Old Fort Schuyler for $2.50 ; to 
Whitesboro for $3. In 1802, this mail and passenger 
route was extended from Old Fort Schuyler to Onondaga. 
Through the enterprise of Jason Parker, an act of the 
Legislature was passed giving to him and Levi Stephens 
the exclusive right for seven years (1803 to 18 10), to run 
a line of stages twice each week over the route mentioned, m. h., p. 370. 
the fare not to exceed live cents per mile. In 1810, three 
trips were made each week between Albany and Utica. A 
year later, the western section, from Utica to Buffalo and 
Niagara Falls, was completed, and excellent service was 
given. Mr. Parker associated with him in the transporta- 



54 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

tion business Theodore S. Faxton, Silas D. Childs and 
John Butterfield, who became prominent in many business 
enterprises and who did much for the upbuilding of Utica. 

ERIE CANAL. 

Previous to the war of 1812, the subject of connecting 
the Hudson river with Lake Erie by a public waterway 
had received much attention, and three surveys were 
made. Indeed, this subject had been in the minds of far 
Wager's Hist seeing men from a much earlier time. In 1792, the 
Oneida Co. jg^j.^^^^ Hollander, Dr. Van der Kemp, described the great 
results he expected from the improvements to navigation in 
this State, then just begun. This is a part of his quaintly 
expressed prophecy : 

" See here ... an early communication by water 
carriage opened between the most distant parts of this ex- 
tensive commonwealth. . . . Fort Stanwix must be- 
come a staple place for the commodities of the West 
Letter of Fr. _ _ and Old Fort Schuylcr . . . nearlv the cen- 

Ad. Van der •' 

Kemp, in tral spot of intercourse between the north and west, trans- 
jl's^^May.*^ formed into an opulent mercantile city . . . when 
Copy loaned ^j^g tomahawk and scalping knife shall be replaced by the 

by Mr. An- ., r , • i i • i 

drew, of sickle and the pencil of the artist, and the wigwam by 

Trenton. marble palaccs. Go there and dig canals through the 

J. F. sey- western country. Dare only to undertake the enterprise, 

mour'scent. and I Warrant success. Give me the disposal of 50 New 

Address, Tren- • • n • j 

ton, 1876, pp. York purses, and I will do what others promise in horid 

"' ^°" speeches. ... I will go to the watery nymph Erie, 

/ and trace a beautiful curve through which her Ladyship 

shall be compelled to pay of her tribute to the ocean through 

the Genesee Country." 

Finally, after much bitter opposition, the work was un- 
wager's Hist. ^ ^^^j^g^ largely through the able advocacy of Gov. De- 

Oneida Co. > o ./ o 

Witt Clinton. July 4, 18 17, excavation was begun in 



HISTORY OF TRANSPORTATION — ROUTES OF TRAVEL. 5 5 

Rome, and Oct. 22, 18 19, the section between Rome and Jones's Annais 
Utica having been filled by the Oriskany creek, the first ^^h.', pp. 142, 
boat cleared a passage amid great rejoicings. '^3- 

The canal was finished Oct. 20th, 1825, and the event 
was celebrated with appropriate ceremonies, during which 
Gov. Clinton arrived in Utica on his journey through the pioneers, pp. 
canal from Buffalo to New York, and was received here 630, 631. 
with great enthusiasm, and with a formal welcome in the 
Court House. 

CHENANGO CANAL. 

In 1834 ork was begun on the Chenango Canal. This 
waterwa led through the Chenango valley, and was com- 
pleted in 1836. Its entire length was 97 miles, and it was 
of special importance to Utica and the country north of ,^j ^^ p ^g^ 
Utica in transporting coal from the mines of Pennsylvania. 

After the opening of the Delaware, Lackawanna and 
Western R. R., and the Utica, Clinton and Binghamton R. 
R., the Chenango canal was abandoned. 

The canals are the property of the State. 

PLANK ROADS. 

About the year 1847, Companies were incorporated to 
build plank roads over marshy and rough highways. One 
extending from Deerfield to Remsen was the first completed 
in this vicinity, and it proved to be a great boon to the 
country through which it passed. Subsequently, other 
plank roads were built from Utica to Rome on the west ; 
to Schuyler and Frankfort on the east ; and on the south 
to New Hartford and Clinton, Waterville and Burlington. ^^_^ 
Owing to the high price and growing scarcity of lumber, 
the roads were kept up at an enormoub expense and finally 
fell into disuse. 

The Directory for 1849-50 says, "The city is rendered 



56 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

accessible at all times to the surrounding country by means 
of plank roads in every direction." 

RAILROADS. 

In 1833, the Utica and Schenectady Railroad Company 

was incorporated. The road was to be built on the north 

, ", '^/\, side of the Erie canal with its terminus in Utica. The 

Annals of Al- 
bany, Vol. IX., year before, a railroad had been opened between Albany 

and Schenectady, in accordance with a charter granted to 

the Mohawk and Hudson Railroad Co. in 1826. 



M. H., p. 380. 



,, „ „ In 1836, a road was built connecting: Utica with Syracuse. 

M. H., p. ^S^. ^ b J 

During the first week, cars were run free over this section. 
In 1853, a bill passed the Legislature consolidating the 

Annals of Ai- various lincs of railroads between Albany and Buffalo. 

p. 324'. The first coaches used on the eastern sections were the old 

stage coaches, which were strapped on platform cars. 

In 1853, the Utica and Black River R. R. Co. was or- 
ganized under the name " Black River and Utica R. R. 
Co.," and the work of constructing a road to the north 
country by way of Trenton, was at once commenced. 

In December, 1854. the road was formally opened as far 
as Trenton, and a j^ear later, as far as Boonville. The 

Randu R^R present name Vv'as assumed May, 1861, when a reorganiza- 

co. tion took place. The road was afterwards leased to the 

Rome, Watertown and Ogdensburg R. R. , and this again, 
with all its holdings, to the New York Central R. R. Co. 

The Utica, Chenango and Susquehanna Valley R. R. 
was well under way in 1870, and at that time, extended 
south from Utica through New Hartford and Cassville to 
Sherburne Four Corners, with a branch from Cassville to 

M. H., p. 303. Richfield. The same year (1870), it was leased to the 
Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Corporation, which 
made the desired connection with the coal fields of Penn- 
sylvania. 



HISTORY OF TRANSPORTATION — ROUTES OF TRAVEL. 5/ 

In 1862, the Utica, Clinton and Binghamton R. R. Co. 
became incorporated, to construct a horse or steam rail- 
road to connect Clinton with New Hartford, Utica and 
Whitesboro. The following year (1863) rails were laid 
and a horse car line was established from Utica to New 
Hartford, and from there to Clinton a " dummy " was op- m. h., pp. 303, 
erated. In 1867 the company reorganized, and extended ^^"^ 
the track south from Clinton till it connected with the 
Midland R. R. at Smith's Valley. In 1870, a steam rail- 
road from Utica to New Hartford was built, and thus the 
line was completed. Soon after its completion, it passed 
into the hands of a receiver, and in T875 it became the 
possession of the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company. 

The New York, West Shore and Buffalo R. R. was 
completed in 1884, and as its name implies, extends from 
New York, along the west shore of the Hudson, and west- 
erly to Buffalo, passing through Utica on its way. This 
road is now leased and operated by the New York Central 
Company. 

In 1893, the New York Central Co. leased the Mohawk 
and Malone Railway, (Herkimer to Malone ; incorporated 
1891), and by making it apart of its system, and running ^^- J- ^•^*'■^^• 
daily trains from New York to Montreal by way of Utica, 
has connected this city with the Adirondack region. 

STREET RAILWAY SYSTEM. 

In 1886 the Utica Belt Line Co. was organized, and 
leased from the Utica, Clinton and Binghamton Co. its lines 
to New Hartford and Whitesboro, and later on a branch 
was built to New York Mills. The horse car service was,, ^ 

M, H., p. 356. 

discontinued, and electric power introduced in 1889. Sev- 
eral lines are now in operation extending to the west, south 
and east portions of the city. In 1897, the Utica and 
Whitesboro line was extended as far as Oriskany, and 
Summit Park opened at the end of the line. 



Ibid. 



58 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

The Utica and Mohawk R. R. Co. built a road connecting 
Genesee St. at Bleecker St. with the Utica Park, which is 
the eastern terminus. At first the cars were drawn by 
horses, but in 1889 electricity was substituted. 



IX. 

NAMES OF STREETS. 

COSBY'S Manor extended three miles on either side of 
the Mohawk, and from the Sauquoit Creek, eleven 
miles east. (See I.). 

The Bleecker property reached from about the line of 
Mohawk street nearly to what is now Charlotte, and ran Pioneers, p. s. 
back from the river beyond Steele's Hill. 

The Bradstreet property lay both east and west of the 
Bleecker land. The part on the west reached as far as the 
corner of Varick and LaFayette Streets, and included land 
on both sides of Genesee Street, the east and west bound- 
ary lines running three miles back from the river. 

The Schuyler property extended from the Bradstreet 
land on the east, to the western line of the State Hospital, 
and, like the other divisions, stretched back from the river 
three miles. 

The early settlement lay wholly south of the river, chiefly 
upon one street, called Main, running parallel with the 
river. The western end of this street was known as the 
Whitesboro Road. 

The Genesee Road, meeting Main Street, formed a square 

Ibid., pp. 7, 93. 

now known as Bagg's Square. 

About 1800, Hotel Street was laid out as an avenue to 

Ibid., p. go. 

the Genesee Road, from Utica's first hotel, the York House. 

(SeeX.). 

1 808-1 8 10, Broad. First, Second, Third and Bridge ^'^^'^'Pp- ^S7, 

^ 271. 
Streets were laid out. The latter, now Park Avenue, was l. m. Taylor. 

named from a bridge over the river, which it crossed. ^ s^r^s^ss-e! 

Some of the family names found on the Bleecker prop- 
erty are Rutger, Dudley, Brinckerhoff, Miller, and Blandina. 



6o OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

It is said that it was at one time the intention of four 
members of the Bleecker family to build on Rutger Street. 
The whole scheme, however, was abandoned, because the 
location of the Erie Canal, with its high bridges across the 
plain sloping from Rutger to Broad Streets, had so mar- 
red the beauty of the place. 

Names that recall owners of portions of the Bradstreet 
Ibid. p. 37. ^^^^ Schuyler lands are Potter, Plant, Francis, Tewett, 

Pioneers, pp. -' ^ ' > j > 

23,50,45.126. Cooper, Cornelia, Hopper, Henry, and Huntington. 

Hamilton and South Hamilton Streets lie on the Schuy- 
, ,, ler property, and are named for Alexander Hamilton, who 

L. M. Taylor, f r .7 - < 

in Trans. OH. married General Schuyler's daughter. " These are both 
-.1 5 ' p 3S. gj^^g^jj s^j-gg^s, but they carry a great name." 

Philip and Schuyler Streets take their names from Gen- 
eral Philip J. Schuyler. 

Other streets named for great men of our earlier time 
are Washington, Herkimer, Jefferson, Clinton, Jay, named 
for the statesman and judge, Governor John Jay (1745- 
1829); Lansing for Chancellor Lansing (1754-1829), also 
Chancellor Square and Kent Street for the eminent jurist, 
■'^^'^'^■^^' Chancellor Kent (1763-1847). The lots on each end of 
Chancellor Square originally fronted upon the square itself, 
and could be approached only through it. This was rem- 
edied by the 'laying out of Academy Street across the west 
end and Kent Street across the east. 

Besides these, are the streets named for illustrious for- 
ibid. p. 3Q. eigners : Steuben, LaFayette (once called Rome Street), 

Pioneers, pp. itt- ia ^ • t itt 

554-0:;. and Kossuth Avenue, named just after the Hungarian pat- 

riot had visited the city. 

Spring Street takes its name from a spring of pure water 
which once existed in or near it. (See H.). 

Garden Street was named for the old Horticultural Gar- 
den on its boundary. 

Bank Street was so called because the region was known 



NAMES OF STREETS. 6 1 

as the "sand-bank." There were deep gullies and high 
sand hills which were graded at great expense. St. George's inTranlo^H 
Church stands across a sort of ravine which could then s- pp- 37> 3«. 
have taken in half the church. 

Can;ahan Street, as the west end of Blandina was once ^. 

' Pioneers, pp 

called, Aiken, and Mandeville Streets take their names »" 6, 458-64. 

f . , J. . M. H., p. 415. 

from eminent divmes. 

Noyes and Tracy Streets are named for distinguished ibid, pp.535, 
lawyers once resident here. (See XI.J. ^^^'^' 

Jason, Parker, Varick, Breese, Devereux, Kirkland, andpiongg^s pp 
Faxton Streets recall the names of prominent men, some '*'' '77- 3761 343, 
or them pioneers. 

More recent streets are named for public men or well- 
known families; as Scott, Grant, Bacon, Seymour, Johnson. 

Johnson Park (1849), James Watson Williams Park 
(1897), and the extensive Proctor Park (1899), bear the 
names of the families who presented them to the city. 



X. 

OLD BUILDINGS. 

FEW of the earliest buildings of Utica are now standing. 
One or two of real interest have but lately disap- 
peared. 

The First School House and place of worship, which 
stood on Broad street (See I. and XII.), was torn down in 
the spring of 1898, after having been used for some time 
as a mere shed. 

The Johnson House on Genesee Street, which has re- 
cently given way to the new Savings Bank, was built by 
John H. Lothrop in 1809. Mrs. Clinton, afterwards Mrs. 

Pioneers, pp. ^^ ...... . 

158,629. Abram Varick, lived in it a few years. It was then 

^V^^^'^fl^. bought by Alexander B. Johnson and was owned by his 

Sketch of Old c^ j j j 

Utica. family until 1897. Here John Quincy Adams, President 

of the United States, was entertained for three or four 

da3's, Mrs. Johnson being his niece. Here too LaFay- 

ette was received June 9, 1825. 

Among the most interesting of the houses still standing, 

is that built by Peter Smith on Broad Street beyond the 
pio.ieers.p. 15. gulf, whcrc in 1797, his son Gerrit was born. This is now 

occupied by the Ellison family, and stands a little east of 

Mohawk Street. 

A little later Colonel Benjaniiii Walker built, also on 

Broad street, the house afterwards occupied by the Culver 

Ibid., p. 68. _ ' . 

Sketch of Old family. This has been occupied by Madame Despard, 
who used it as a school building, and by the Seward and 
Wager families. It stands far back from the street a lit- 
tle west of Kossuth Avenue. 

In 1792, William himan came to this country from Eng- 
land. He built an English cottage on the north side of 



OLD BUILDINGS. 63 

the Whitesboro road, which, with its neighboring elms, 

still makes a picturesque spot just beyond the "Halfway 

Bridge." The road ran nearer the house than at present, ibid. 

and Mr. Inman, disturbed by the "Yankee dust," moved ^^°°^"'"*' p- '*^- 

to a more substantial house, which he built far back from 

the road on the south side. This stands a little within 

the present city limits, and is now known as the Champlin 

house. 

The old house which stands on the north side of 
Whitesboro Street, nearly opposite Cherry, known as the 
Clark House, has in late years awakened much interest and 
inquiry, but no important facts concerning it have been ob- 
tained. 

In 1800, Judge Nathan Williams built the house on the 
corner of Whitesboro and Seneca Streets, now known aSg^^^^j^ ^^ qj^ 
the Wager or Goodwin house. Here five generations of utica. 
the Williams family have lived. 

The Seymour /fi^z^j-^ on Whitesboro Street, corner of Ho- 
tel, was built by Daniel Childs about 1810 or 1812. In 
1820, it was purchased by Henry Seymour and was long ibid, 
occupied by his son, Hon. Horatio Seymour. During the ^'°°^^''^' P' 
closing years of Governor Seymour's life, he lived in Deer- 
field, but scarcely a day passed in which he did not visit 
his old home, then occupied by his brother, John F. Sey- 
mour. 

In 1824, Moses Bagg built the house on Broad Street, ibid. p. 220. 
corner of Second, long occupied by his daughter, Mrs. ^'^^'^^'^ *^^ ^^^ 

" ^ ■' o ' Utica. 

Charles A. Mann. 

About 1825, Samuel Stocking built on the corner of 
Broad and First Streets, the house afterwards owned by ibid. 
Judge Hiram Denio, and later by his daughter, Mrs. Louis i^,. 
A. Tourtellot. 

Coming to Genesee Street, we find that the house occu- 



64 



OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 



Ibid., pp. 48, 



Ut:ca. 



Pioneers, p 
265. 

Sketch of 
Old Utica. 



pied by !■;■. Willis E. Ford since 1882, was built by 
Watts Sheijnan, who came to Utica before 1795. It has 
had a succes.sion of honorable owners, having been pur- 
^^^e^^;^^ °^ o'^ chased by General Joseph Kirkland, the first Mayor of 
Utica, then by Charles Tracy, and later by Judge Philo 
Gridley. 

The house on upper Genesee Street, now owned by Mr. 
Egbert Bagg, was built, or re-built in 1806, by Israel 
Decker. Some of the floor rafters are of red beech logs 
with the bark on, and over a foot in diameter. Early in 
the century it was occupied by M)-. and Mrs. Samuel B . 
Malcolm. Mrs. Malcolm was the daughter of Gen. Philip 
Schuyler, and later became the wife of Capt. James Coch- 
ran, son of the Revolutionary Surgeon. (See XL). 

The Miller House on Rutger Place, occupied by Hon. 
Roscoe Conkling for more than twenty-five years, was 
planned and the foundation laid by Judge Morris S. Miller 
in 1820. His son, Rutger B. Miller, completed it about 
1830. It was called at the time " Miller's Folly," so re- 
mote was it from all neighbors. A carriage seen crossing 
John Street Bridge was known to be coming to "The 
Hill," as there was no other house to which to go. Mr, 
and Mrs. Thomas Walker lived here for many years. Sen- 
ator Conkling entertained here many eminent guests. 
among them Generals Grant, Sherman, and Hooker, in 

1875. 

Among the once famous mansions which have lost their 
early dignity is that of Jeremiah Van Rensselaer, built 
about 1800. It stood on the east side of Genesee Street 
amid beautiful grounds, which included nearly the whole 
space now bounded by Devereux, Genesee, Blandina, and 
Charlotte streets. The house is still standing on the south 
side of Devereux Street, about midway between Genesee 
and Charlotte. It has been turned around and now faces 
Devereux Street. 



Ibid. 

Pioneers, p 
237. 



Ibid., p. 114. 




X 
U 



f- 



OLD BUILDINGS. 65 

In 1794, Jiido-c A polios Cooper came to Utica and built 

/ ^T y <_> y / , . , , Pioneers, p 45. 

a house on Whitesboro Street, near Liberty, in which he sketch of cm 
Hved until his death, in 1839. The house and grounds ^'''*^*- 
are now used as a summer garden. 

Miss Miller's " Sketch of Old Utica " gives many inter- 
esting details of the architecture and decorations of these 
dwellings, as well as of the gardens around them and the 
life within. 

Of the early church buildings, that of Trinity (com- 
pleted 1 8 10. See II.), retains its beauty and its sacred 
character ; others, however, have been turned to inferior 
uses. 

The WclsJi Baptist ChurcJi (See II.), a wooden structure 

built in 1806 near the place where the Hotel Street bridge 

now stands, was moved when the canal was opened to the ^ ^°"^^'"^' p- 

site of the present church on Broadway, a little north of Thomas' His- 
tory of Welsh 
Liberty Street. In 1840, when the new church was erect- of America.un 

ed, the old building was again moved to the rear of the^^^^*^^' 
lot, and is believed to be still standing on Charles Street. 
The Fii St Presbyterian ChiircJi, on the corner of Wash- 
ington and Liberty Streets, completed in 1807 (See II.) gave 
way in 1826 to a new edifice, itself destroyed by fire in 
18^1. The old building was, in 1826, cut into two pieces, „. 

-^ ' '^ ^ Pioneers, p. 

one of \vhich is now the Mansion House, corner of Wash- 461. 
ington and LaFayette Streets, and the other a large tene- 
ment house on Whitesboro Street, nearly opposite Charles. 

We must not omit mention of Utica's famous hotels. 
Bas:sr's Hotel is older than the name of Utica, which was 

, Pioneers, pp. 

bestowed in 1798. The hotel was founded in 1794 by4o, ais-g. 
Moses Bagg. In August of that year, he purchased land 

5 



66 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

and be^an to practice his trade, that of a blacksmith, on 
Main Street, a little east of the Square. He built a log 
house on the corner of Main Street, which he opened for the 
accommodation of travelers ; shortly after, he put a two 
story frame building on the same site. He continued to 
Theo. p. Cook, keep this tavern until his death in 1805. His son, Moses 
in utica Press, g became proprietor of the hotel in 1808. When the 

Nov. 23, i8g6. "'5' r r 

first Canal Commissioners visited Utica in 18 10, two of 
them, Stephen Van Rensselaer and Gouverneur Morris, 
with their servants, occupied the whole of the hotel, from 
which its dimensions maybe judged. In 1812-15, Mr. 
Bagg erected the central portion of the bricl: hotel, and to 
this he subsequently added on either side. 

In 1797, Samuel Hooker erected for the Holland Land 

Company the building still standing on the corner of Whites- 

boro and Hotel Streets, now called the Atlantic Hotel. 

This was known as the York House. It was a large brick 

building, the first brick house in the village, and its like 

Pioneers, pp. was not to be sccn between the Hudson and the Pacific. 

Sketch of Old The land was so marshy, that according to one story, the 

utica. corner stone, which had been laid with due ceremony in 

the morning, had disappeared in the afternoon. Hemlock 

logs were used for the foundations for the stone and brick. 

This building has been many times remodeled, but no 

amount of paint has been able to cover up the word 

" Hotel," which was chiseled over its door in 1798. 



John C. Hoyt 



M. H.,p. 228 



As matters of interest, we mention that the Old Rotind 
Building on Whitesboro Street, near Hoyt, was built by 
David Hoyt, father of John C. Hoyt, and used to grind 
the bark in his tannery. The power used was not elec- 
tricity, or steam, or even water, but was obtained by sails 
on the top of the building which were moved by the wind. 

Mechanics Hall, corner of Hotel and Liberty Streets, 
was built in 1836-37. Here were given lectures, plays, 



OLD BUILDINGS. ^1 

and other entertainments, and here pubHc meetings of all 
kinds were held until the Utica Opera House was built in 
1871-72. 

A few of the noteworthy buildings in the vicinity of 
Utica should be mentioned. 

WHITESBORO. Address on 

Mr. William Tracy, writing in 1838, says that Hugh^^^^^^^.^^_ 

White built in 1789 " the house still standing on the south- 34-5- 

' ^ _ A Few Stray- 

east corner of the village green at Whitesboro." It for- Leaves in the 

merly had a gambrel roof. Mrs. Whitcher says " the ^\;f^^°5^^^^ p 

house was moved about half its length westward and mod- 18. 

ernized in 1861." 

The present Tozvn Hall in Whitesboro was erected for 

a Court House in 1807, on land given by Hugh White, iwd., p. 48. 

, 1 • 1 1 J D. E. Wager, 

The land was to revert to the heirs when no longer used j^ ^^ans o. 
for the purpose designated. In i860, Hon. Philo White, h.s., 18S1-4- 
a grandson of the pioneer, bought from the heirs their re- 
versionary claim, and presented the building and green to 
the village. 

The building is "probably the oldest one in the State 
yet standing erected for a Court House." 

NEW HARTFORD. Cent. Pres. Ch. 

^r T »7- TT r J 1 N. Hart., pp. 

The Presbyterian CJiurch at Nezv Hartford wa.^ Pegun^^^^^ 
in I7Q2, and was dedicated November 29, 1797. " As the Gndiey'sHist. 

' --' ' . . . Town of Kirk- 

oldest church edifice in this county, it is worthy of dis-iand,p. g6. 
tinguished consideration." 

CLINTON. 

Dr. Kirkland moved from Oneida to his lands near Clin- ibid , pp. 78-80. 
ton in 1792. The small frame dwelling built by him prob- ^".^^J" g^^^^j^ 
ably the year previous has been presented to Hamilton Ham. coii.. p. 
College and, removed from its original location, is pre- 
served in the Campus on College Hill. 



68 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

A few years later, probably in 1795, Dr. Kirkland built 
Prof. E.North. the house on the road " under the hill " long known as the 

Tracy's Early ,,i • i -iihttti- 

Hist. Oneida Kirkland mansion, and now occupied by Mr. Harding. 
Co., p. 6. Here he lived until his death in 1808, and it remained the 

home of his widow through her life. 

Jones'sAnnals TRENTON. 

John F. sey- The fine stone mansion in Trenton known as the Mappa 
mour's Cent. f{(jnse was built by Colonel Adam G. Mappa, agent for the 

Ad., July 4, -^ . 

1876. p. 32. Holland Land Company, and was occupied at least as 
po^ssess. Tren-^^^'b' ^.s 1809, and possibly several years earlier. 

ton Hist See. 



XL 

NOTEWORTHY CITIZENS OF ONEIDA COUNTY 

NO other department of this small outline book has 
given the editors so little satisfaction as this of 
Eminent Citizens. The limited space prohibited anything 
beyond the merest skeleton of biographical notice. The 
criteria of admission came of necessity to be: books pub- 
lished ; official position ; or high professional honors. 

In many cases, this has seemed to set up a false stand- 
ard; to imply failure to recognize the worth of personal 
character and scholarly attainment when these had not 
been crowned by academic or political honors:— necessity 
deeply regretted by those responsible for the selection. 

Works of authors, wherever mentioned, include only the 
most important. 

Groups : a. Pioneers ; b. Soldiers of the Revolution ; 
c. Army Officers, Second Period ; d. Naval Officers ; e. 
Lawyers ; /. Archaeologists and Philologists ; g. Men of 
Science ; h. Men of Letters ; i. Women Writers ; /. 
Artists ; /•. Actors ; /. Government Officials ; vi. Visitors. 

PIONEERS. 

Among the Pioneers of Oneida County four stand pre- 
eminent. 

Rev. Samuel Kirkland, (i 741-1808), Princeton, 
1765. For more than forty years a devoted mission- Lothr°^s^Li 
arv to the Six Nations, especially to the Oneidas. During Allison's Hist. 

•' . , 1 1 J 1 „ Sketch Ham. 

the Revolution, a Chaplain in the army, and employed by ^^jj 
the government to secure the neutrality of the Indians ; ^;f ^1^;^^;^^^ 
his efforts, joined with those of James Dean, were success- voi. ti.. p. 738- 
ful in the case of the Oneidas. By untiring exertions he 



Life 



yO OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

secured the means to establish Hamilton Oneida Academy, 
which, four years after his death, became Hamilton Col- 
lege. (See I., X., Xn.). 

James Dean, (1748-1823), Dartmouth, 1773. Dedi- 
cated in childhood as a missionary to the Indians, 
and sent to live among them for several years under the 
care of a missionary; adopted by a squaw as her son; 
licensed to preach, but never ordained. 1775, appointed 
Indian Agent with rank of Major, and rendered invaluable 
Tracy s Early services. Stationed chiefly at Oneida Castle and Fort 

Hist. Oneida . . , i^-^-i i- , ^ c 

Co. Stanwix. Alter the war the Oneidas gave hmi a tract 01 

jones'sAnnais j^^j-,^ jj-j Westmoreland (confirmed to him later by the 

pp. 744-5q- . . . 

State), where he lived until his death. Judge of County 
courts by successive appointments 1 791-18 13, and twice 
member of legislature. Wrote a journal of one of his 
expeditions, and an essay on Indian Mythology, both now 
lost. 

Hugh White, (1733-18 12). Made the first permanent 

Jones'sAnnais gg^^j^^^g^j. j^^ ^j^^ g^^^^ ^,^^^ ^^ ^^^ Dutch Settlements, 

pp. 23, 27, 28. 

1784. Appointed Judge, 1798; re-appointed, 1801. 

Peter Smith, (i 768-1 837). A trader who came about 

1789 to Old Fort Schuyler and was trusted equally by 

hlm^'fifo? Indians and whites ; the latter made him Sheriff and Judge. 

Gerrit Smith. From the Indians he acquired by purchase nearly one 

Pioneers, pp. , ^ i 1 1 i i • 

14-18. million acres, and thus became the largest landholder in 

the State. 

Two picturesque figures of this period are the Hollanders, 

Col. Adam Gerard Mappa, (i 752-1 829), Agent of the 
Jones's Annals I^olland Land Company at Trenton, then Olden-Banne- 
pp. 4523,475-85 veldt, and Francis Adrian Van der Kemp (1752-1829), 

J. F. Sey- V ' -- / 

mour'scent. who joiucd Col. Mappa at Trenton about 1797. He had 

Ad^, Trenton, ^^^^ rcfugc in this country ten years earlier from political 

troubles in Holland. He was received with honor by 

Washington, and gained the friendship of John Adams, 



NOTEWORTHY CITIZENS OF ONEIDA COUNTY. /I 

DeWitt Clinton, and Thomas Jefferson. Harvard College 

made him LL. D. 

In the northwest part of the County, now the town of ^ ^^^^^^^ 
Camden, another Dutch pioneer, George F. W. A. Scriba Apr. m, =6, 
(1752-1836), purchased a half million acres of land. In jones'sAnnais 
the southern part, Jedediah Sanger (1751-1829). founder pp-^^^;;;^"'': 
of New Hartford, had a great estate, and has left his name in Trans^. o. 
in Sangerfield. 

soldiers of the revolution. 
Benjamin Walker, (1753-1818). Came to Old Fort 
Schuyler in 1797- He was of English birth and a " Blue 
Coat Boy." He came as agent of the great landed estate 
of the Earl of Bath. In war and in peace he served his 
adopted country diligently and brilliantly. He was the 
right hand of the Baron-General von Steuben, and Wash- Pioneers, p 67. 
ington's aide-de-camp and trusted friend. After the close 
of the Revolutionary War, he declined political honors and 
became an untitled, public-spirited citizen of Old Fort 

Schuyler. 

In June, 1875, a plot in Forest Hill Cemetery was con- 
secrated to the Revolutionary Fathers, at which time the 
bodies of Benjamin and Mrs. Walker, and of Dr. John 
Cochran, Director-General of the Military Hospitals of the ^J^';-'^^;^ 
United States in the Revolutionary War, and of his wife, " 
Gertrude Sc'..ayler, were removed from the old village 
burying ground on Water Street, and solemnly reinterred 
in the new cemetery. 

Frederick William Augustus, Baron Steuben, (1730- 
17QA) Commissioned Major-General by W^ishii.gton, 

^/V't/'' . , 1 Jones'sAnnais 

1778 ; " rendered memorable services which can scarcely ^p^^^.^^ 
be over-rated in drilling the officers and men of the Con- Johnson's cyc 
tinental Army into efficiency ; rewarded by Congress with 
160,000 acres in Oneida County; lived after the revolution 



72 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

on the edge of our northern wilderness, and is there 

buried. (See XIII). 

General William Floyd, (1734-182 i). A native of 
Sanderson's ^^^S Island ; member of Continental Congress about eight 
Biogr. ofsign years ; signer of the Declaration of Independence ; in 1803 

ersoftheDec. ' ' ^ r ' J 

of ind., Vol. removed to Western, near Rome. The town of Floyd, in 
■'^■'^'" which he owned large tracts of land, perpetuates his 
name. 

Among revolutionary soldiers who made Utica their 
home, were: Captain Stephen Potter, (i739-i8io),of the 
regiment called " Congress' Own," of which Nathan Hale 

Pitneers, pp. was a brother-officcr of the same rank ;-Talcott Camp, 
(1 762- 1 832), who became the first President of the Village 
of Utica ; — Col. John Bellinger, (died in 181 5), who had 
stood by the side of Herkimer at the battle of Oriskany ; 

N.E. Hist'i* — Thomas Williams, (1 754-181 7), who took part in the 

Gen'l Reg^., 

1880, p 70' Boston "Tea Party," a resident of New Hartford from 
1790 to 1812 ; died in Utica. Daniel Eels, who had 
Pres. ch. New helped to build the earthworks on Bunker Hill, settled in 
Hart., p. 42. New Hartford in 1797 and lived there for 54 years; and 
many other names of interest are remjembered in neighbor- 
ing towns. 

army officers — second period. 

[Florida ( 1 836-S), Mexican (1846-7), and Civil (1861-5), 
Wars.] 

Henry Wager Halleck, (181 5-1872); d. Westernville. 
Lippincott's ^jai. Gen. U. S. A.; West Point, '34 ; served in the Semi- 

Biog. Diet. ■* ' • j^ ' 

Appieton's nolc (Florida) and Mexican wars ; General-in-Chief of the 
yc. . m. ^i"f?- ^j-j^jgg Qf ^|-jg u 5^ Headquarters Washington, 1862-4. 

Morris S. Miller, (18 14-1870) ; /k Utica, buried at 
Mem'iby U.S. Forest Hill. Brev. Brig. Gen., and Dept. Quar. M.Gen., 
p."'"'- U. S. A.; West Point, '34 ; served in Florida, Mexico, and 

Pioneers, p. ' ' ^^ ' 

237- the War for the Union. 



NOTEWORTHY CITIZENS OF ONEIl A COUNTY. 73 

Col. Daniel Butterfield, Fifth Infantry, U. S. A., b. 

Plii*^tcrcr's 

Utica about 1831. Maj. Gen. U. S. Vols., 1862; Brev. stat. Rec, 
Mai. Gen. U. S. A., 1865. Residence, near New York City, p-^^o. 

•' Lippincott's 
Biog. Diet. 

( For Field Officers of Oneida County regiments, many 
of whom became Generals, see IV). 

During the Civil War, several of the physicians of our 
County made a record as army surgeons. 

Dr. Alonzo Churchill, fiSi 1-1809), was Surgeon 14th 

^ . . Contemp. 

N. Y. Vols., with the rank of Major ; at Gaines Mills was Biog., Voi. i.. 
taken prisoner with 500 wounded men, and placed in Libby ^ "'*''■ 
prison ; created Colonel for meritorious services. 

Dr. Samuel G. Wolcott, (i 820-1 883), gave his serv- 
ices as Examining Surgeon to the Government without j^'^ 
charge. 

Dr. Thomas Macomb Flandrau, of Rome, (i 826-1 898), 
was Surgeon of the 146th N. Y. Vols., with the rank of 
Major ; was made Division Surgeon-in-Chief ; served three Y' "^''*^^' 

A.tig'. 8, i8q8. 

years; Brev. Lieut. Col. " for meritorious services in the 
field." His father's home was in Whitesboro ; his own, 
later, at Rome. 

naval officers. 

Melancthon Taylor Woolsey, (i 782-1 838), Commo- 
dore U. S. N. In 1808 was sent to the Lakes to superin- 
tend the construction of our armaments on those inland 

r^ I'l 11 iiT-.-^^- Drake's Diet. 

seas. Commandea the only large vessel, the Brig ' 'Oneida. " Am. Biog., pp. 
After his retirement he lived in Utica, and died there, and his 'T"^'^;.,, . 

Miss Miller im 

remains now rest in Forest Hill. Three of his sons served utiea Press, 
in the War for the Union. Two of these rest in Forest ^ " "' ' ''• 
Hill ; Commodore M. B. Woolsey, U. S. N., (18 18-1874), 
J. T. Woolsey, ( 182 i -1894), b. Whitesboro. 

William Mervine, (1790-1868), Rear Admiral U. S. N. 



74 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

At the beginning of the Civil War, although seventy years 

8 °^ ^^^' ^^ reported promptly for duty and did good service 

Appieton's during the first year of the war. Ill health compelled his 

yc. m. '°^- i-g|-jj.gj^gj^|- jjj November, i86i. His home was in Utica. 

His son, Catharinus B. Mervine, died in the volunteer 

military service in 1864. 

Samuel Livingston Breese, (i 794-1 870), Rear Admi- 
ral U. S. N. Served in the War of 18 12 and the Mexican 
War. He was elder brother of Judge Sidney Breese. 
fg^^"**"^^' ^' Their early lives were spent in Whitesboro and Utica, and 
the Admiral's body rests in Forest Hill Cemetery. 

Commodore William Inman, (1797-1874); b. Utica. 
Nat. cyc. Am. QQjj^j^-iQ^Qj-g U. S. N. Saw constaut service on the Great 

Biog. 

M. H., p 37- Lakes during the War of i 8 1 2, and afterward on the African 
Am. Authors coast, wherc, in 1859-61, he re-captured and landed 3,600 
P-'t73- slaves. In early youth he was a student of law at Whites- 

boro. 

Rear x\dmira] Montgomery Hunt Sicaru, Annapolis, 
'56, was President of the Naval Board of Direction during 
the recent war between the United States and Spain, ( 1 898). 
Residence, Westernville. 

BhNCH and bar. 

Jonas Platt,(i 769-1 834). Was successively, from 1796- 

1823, Member of Assembly, and of the State Senate, can- 

M. H., pp. 517-clidate for Governor, and Judge of the Supreme Court of 

20. 

jones'sAnnais New York State; in 1791 appointed Clerk of Herkimer 

Bacon°s^ Early Couuty and held this office until 1798, when the new county 

Bar. (Oneida), was constructed and he became its first Clerk. 

Among those who made the earliest Bar of Oneida 

County remarkably brilliant were : Thomas Ruggles Gold, 

Jones'sAnnais (17 )\ HeNRY RANDOLPH StORRS, ( I 787-I 837) ; SaM- 

pp. 795-6. UEL A. Talcott, (1789-1836) ; William H. Maynard, 

Bacon's Early 

Bar. (about 1786-1832); Greene C. Bronson, (1789-1863), in 



NOTEWORTHY CITIZENS OF ONEIDA COUNTY. 75 

1853 Collector of the Port of New York, but removed on 

£ ( 1 f^ rl i cm ic:Q officials for DoHtical TCaSOHS M. H., pp. 4gq- 

account of refusal to dismiss omciaib ^^^ F ^^^^ 5,,^. 

rM H p 524). These five men all served m Congress, 
aswell'ason the Bench of the Supren.e and Appellate 
Courts of the State. 

To their number must be added the names of William 
Curtis Noyes, (1804-1864), who came to Oneida County 
as a young man, and the brothers, William Tracy, (1805- 
1881) and CHARLES Tracy, (1810-1885), who were natives 
of Whitesboro. These were all lawyers of high reputation ^ ^^ ^^ ^^^ 
whose early professional years were largely spent m Utica. ^, .^^^,^, 
Mr Noyes bequeathed his fine law library to Hami ton 
College Both William and Charles Tracy were zealous 
students of early local history, and pioneers m its intro- 
duction. 

Hiram Den.o. (.799-.87n. Justice of the Court ot 
ADoeals i8?^-i866. His decisions are accepted as mod-M.H.,pp. s«- 
els InpoUtL he was a Democrat. During the Cv.l. 
War he voted for Lincoln and steadily supported h,s admm- 
istration. 

Joshua Austin Spenceh. (1790-1857). United States 
District Attorney for the Northern District of New York, 
then including nearly the whole State, (,84.-45); State 
Senator; resident of Utica for thirty years. Ot him Judge 
Denio said : • ' No other man within my knowledge has ac- ^ ^ ^^ ^^^ 
quitted himself for a lifetime with snch universally distm-„ 
guished ability." The case which secured h.m widest b„o„. .a„y 
fame was • ■ The People vs. Alexander McLeod, ( 1 84 . ). 
(See III.). His second wife was the daughter of Judge 

James Dean. 

SAMUEL BEAKDSLEV,(.790-.86o). State Senator; United 
States District Attorney for the Northern District of New m. h., p. ... 
York ; Member of Congress during four terms ; Attorney- 



^6 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

General of New York, and the last Chief justice of the old 

Bacon's Early- 
Bar. Supreme Court of the State, (1847). 

Philo Gridley (1 796-1 864). b. Paris. Hamilton, '16. 

Judge of the Supreme Court of New York ; Justice of the 

555-6. Court of Appeals, (1852). As Circuit Judge of the Fifth 

Judicial District he presided at the trial of Alexander Mc- 

Leod, (1841J. (See III.). 

John Savage, (1 799-1 863). Union, 1799. Dist. Att'y 

for Northern N. Y. Member of Assembly from Washing- 

M. H., pp., |-Qj^ Qq Member of Congress for two terms ; Comptroller 

5S3-S. . " 

of the State ; Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of N. 

Y., 1823-36. Resident of Utica continuously from 1851. 

William Johnson Bacon, (1803-1889^. Hamilton, '22. 

Member of Assembly ; Tudge of the Supreme Court of the 

Ibid., pp. 527- ^ J J & ... 

32. State 16 years ; Member of Congress. As a citizen, ident- 

ified with most of the public enterprises and charitable in- 
stitutions of Utica. 

Charles Mason, (1 810-1879). Judge of the Supreme 
Court of the State for 22 years ; Judge of the Court of 
Appeals, (by appointment of Gov. Fenton, to fill vacancy), 
1868-71. Resident of Utica from 1870. 

Ward Hunt, (1810-1886). Union, '28. Judge of the 
Ibid., pp. 547, Qq^j.^ Qf Appeals, 1866-73 ; Justice of the Supreme Court 
of U. S. 1873-83. 

Horatio Seymouu, "the Sage of Deerfield", (1810- 
1886). Identified with a great variety of philanthropic, 
civic and rural interests ; Member of Assembly ; twice 
Governor of N. Y., (1853, 1863); Democratic candidate for 
the Presidency in i 868, defeated by General Grant. 

A bronze mem.orial bust of Gov. Seymour, presented by 
Dr. George L. Miller, of Omaha, Neb., was unveiled on 
the grounds of the Oneida Historical Society, Sept. 22, 
1899. 



Ibid , p. 566. 



M. H., I't. II 
PP- 3-7- 



Daily Papers. 



NOTEWORTHY CITIZENS OF ONEIDA COUNTY. ']'] 

Alexander Smith Johnson, (i8i7-i§78). b. Utica; 
Yale, '35. Justice of the Court of Appeals, 1851-60, and ^j jj., pp. 556, 
again to fill vacancy, 1874. U. S. Circuit Judge from 557- 
1875. Regent of the University from 1864. Resident 
of Utica from i860. 

Montgomery Hunt Throop, (i 827-1 892). Resident 
of Utica 1851-64. " Tile Future: a Political Essay ; p^^^^^,^.^^^ 
Validity of Verbal Agreements ; Annotated Code of^^- Authors. 

Conteinp. Biog 

Civil Procedure ; The N. Y. Justices' Manual; Digest 
of Mass. Supreme Jud'l Court Decisions ; Revised Stat- 
utes of the StCite of Neiu York. " 

Francis Kernan, (1816-1892). Member of Assembly ; 
Member of Congress ; U. S. Senator, 1875-81 ; nominated m. h.. pt. 11.. 
for Governor 1872 ; defeated by General John A. Dix. A ^ ^^' 
Democrat in politics. During the Civil War he strongly 
supported the Government. Regent of the University 
from 1870. 

RoscoE CoNKLiNG, (1829-1888). Member of Congress, 

1859-67 ; U. S. Senator, 1867-81. His ambitions were 

forensic and political rather than legal; he declined the ^- ^"P 547. 

. 54S. 

Chief Justiceship of the Supreme Court of the United 

States tendered by President Grant, and the Associate Jus- 
ticeship, by President Arthur. From 1881, a prominent 
lawyer of New York City. 

Henry Alien Foster, (i 800-1 889). State Senator 
representing six counties, 1830-4; 1840-4; President of ^'""'^^^p-^''''-' 
the Senate, also of the Court for the Correction of Errors, p. 230. 
U. S. Senator for a few months, (1845), appointed to fiU of sTriyRome 
vacancy ; Judge of the Supreme Court of the State, 1863- 
71. Lived a few years at Utica, but chiefly at Rome. 

Theodore W. Dwight, (i82.?-92). Hamilton, '40. 
Prof. Law and Pol. Econ. at Ham. Coll., 1846-58; Warden 
Columbia Col. LawSch., 1858-91 ; Member State Const'l ^at., 1892-3. 
Convention, 1867 ; Judge N. Y. State Commission of Ap- 



78 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

peals ; State Commissioner Charities ; Prison Labor Com- 
missioner. 

Sidney Breese. (i 800-1 878), b. Whitesboro ; Union, 
'18 ; lived at Utica in hi? youth ; attained distinction in an- 

Johnson's Cyc. ' •' 

Pioneers, p. other State ; U. S. Senator from Illinois, 1843-9; Speaker 
^°^ of 111. Legislature ; Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of 

that State. 

Charles Andrews, b. New Hartford, 1827. Judge N. 
Who's Who in Y. Court of Appeals, 1870-97. Chief Justice from 1881 ; 

America. . , ,, 

residence, Syracuse. 

Judges Gaynor and Truax, Edmund Wetmore and 
John D. Kernan, are prominent members of the New York 
City Bench and Bar. Mr. Kernan served with credit as 
Railwa}^ Commissioner. All are natives of Oneida County. 

ARCHAEOLOGISTS AND PHILOLOGISTS. 

Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, (1793-1864). Chemist, 
philologist and traveller ; was in his youth a resident of 
Utica. For a time the family home was at Verona. 
Diet, of Auth Spent many years among the Indians of the North West 
°'^ Territory, and discovered the source of the Mississippi River, 

in Lake Itasca. In 1823 he married Miss Johnston, the 
grand-daughter of a noted Ojibway chief, an accomplished 
woman who had received her education in Europe. 

Mr. Schoolcraft's ethnological writings, says R. G. Gris- 
wold, "are among the most important contributions that 

Giiswo'd's 

Prose Writers, havc been made to the literature of this country." Archives 
andc^-c^A^*^^-^ ■^^'^^'igi''^'^l Knowledge ; Notes on the Iroquois ; Algic 
Biog. Researches ; TJiirty Years with the Indians ; The Myth 

of Hiaivatha. 

Edward Robinson, (1794-1863), Hamilton, '16, Phil- 
ologist and Archaeologist ; Tutor of Greek and Mathemat- 
ics, Ham. Coll., 18 17-18; m. Eliza, daughter Dr. Samuel 
Kirkland, and sister Pres. Kirkland of Harvard ; Instructor 



NOTEWORTHY CITIZENS OF ONHIDA COUNTY. 79 

Andover Theol. Sem., 1821 ; studied at Halle and Berlin 
1826-30 ; ;;/. the distinguished author, Therese von Jacob, 
("Talvi,") 1828 ; Prof. Bib. Lit. Union Theol. Sem. from 
1837; Member Geog'l, Oriental and Ethnol. Socs. ; his ^jj^^^^j^^ 
library of 1200 books and maps was purchased for Ham. Duyckinck 
Coll. in 1863; his great work, Biblical Researches zV^ Diets, of au- 
Palcstine, Mt. Sinai and Arabia Petraea, received the*^^°^^' 
gold medal of the Royal Geog'l Soc. of London as the 
most learned production of the century, and still possesses 
great interest ; published also an edition of Six Books of 
the Iliad \ a Harmony of tJie Gospels in Greek ; a Greek 
and English Lexicon ; Greek and Cha/dee Grammars of 
the Old and Nezv Testaments. 

Samuel Wells Williams, (18 12-1884) ; b- Utica. 
Went to China as missionary printer, 1833 ; when the U. 
S. Gov't, sent an expedition to negotiate for the opening 
of Japan to free commercial intercourse, 1852, the Com- ^|^°^^°^^^'^'*'^' 
mander. Commodore Perry, secured his services as inter- t. w. seward 
prefer; was the first U. S. Sec. of Legation in Japan, s. 1885-6, 
(1854), and the first at the Capital of China, (1862) ; re- 
turning to the U. S.finall3Mn 1875, was appointed Lecturer 
on Chinese at Yale Coll. Easy Lessons in Chinese ; Tonic 
Diet, of the Chinese Language, (the great work of his 
life) ; TJie Middle Kijigdcm. 

men of science. 

Asa Gray, (18 10- 1888), b. Paris. Taught the natural 
sciences in Utica Gymnasium, 1832-4 ; for 30 years Prof, 
of Botany at Harvard University, to which he presented 
his herbarium of 200,000 specimens, and a library of over 
2,200 Botanical Works ; Pres. A. A. A. S., '72 ; Pres. Am. chambers' 
Acad. Arts and Sciences, 1863-73. His researches and jg^.^*^"' 
publications embraced the flora of North America, which 
he, with Dr. John Torrey, first arranged upon the basis of 



80 OUTLINE H STORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

affinity ; he had " equal ability in communicating ele- 
mentary knowledge, and in elucidating recondite theories." 
Flora of N. A.; Structural and Systematic Botany ; Man- 
iial of Botany ; field. Forest and Garden Botany ; also 
A Free Examination o^ Da'zvins Treatise ; Natural 
Science and Religion ; a7id Govt Repts. and separate 
monographs under 200 titles. 

James Dwight Dana, (181 3-1895), b. Utica ; Yale, "33. 
Ed. Am. Jour, of Science ; Pres. A. A. A. S., '54 ; Hon- 
onary Ph. D., Munich, '72 ; his service at Yale College 
covered more than 40 years ; his books are standard 

Chamber-' rr ^ /^ ^ ^ /-^ t r t r 

Encyc, E,i. trcatiscs on Zoophytes, Corals and Crustacea. Manual of 
'*^' Geology ; System of Mineralogy ; Rep'ts of Wilkes Ex- 

ploring Expedition ; Manual of Mineralogy ; and text 
books frequently revised and enlarged. 

Samuel FiNLEY Breese Morse, (1 791-1872). Yale, '10. 
Made frequent and prolonged visits in Utica while pursuing 
his early profession of artist ; as Director of the Telegraph 
M. H., p, 22. Company that was formed here to put in practice his newly 
invented magnetic telegraph, (see V.), he is mentioned in 
the directories of 1848-9 and 1849-50 ; he had many rela- 
tives here, and his second wife was a Utican. 

We may mention, in passing, that the first telegraph 
instruments ever made were manufactured in Utica by 
Samuel W. Chubbuck, (i799-i875)- 

Amariah Brigham, M. D., (i 798-1 849). Came to 

Utica from Massachusetts in 1842 to become the first Su- 

, ^ ,,perintendent of the State Lunatic Asylum ; founded in 

Blumei s Half r ■' 

Cent. Med.- 1 844 at his private expense, the Journal of Insaniy, the 
App^ieton's'*' fifst joumal in the English language devoted to mental 
cyc.Ara. Biog. i^jecjicine ; it soon became the organ of the alienists of the 
whole country, reported the papers of the American Medico- 
Psychological Association, and gave purpose and consist- 



NOTEWORTHY CITIZENS OF ONEIDA COUNTY. 8 I 

ency to the scientific spirit of investigation, at that time 
almost elementary. Mental Cultivation and Excitement ; 
luflnence of Mental Cultivation on the Health ; Influence 
of Religion on the Heacth and Physical Welfare of Man- 
kind ; and Asylum Souvenir, a small volume of maxims 
for the use of those who had been under his care, 
(Utica, '49). 

Dr. John Purdue Gray, (1825-1886). Dickinson Coll. ; 
Utica. 1850, as Third Ass't physician at the State Hospital i^J'i- 
under Dr. Brigham ; started "The Opal", a monthly de- ^^^ cyc. Am. 
signed to be edited and printed by the patients, which con- Biog. 
tinned for nine or ten years ; in 1 8 54 became Superintendent ; ^^^^ ^f n. y. 
was one of the earliest advocates of minute pathological 
study of insanity, and was influential in securing the re- 
moval of insane paupers from almshouses to State Asylums. 
Editor Journal of Insanity. 

Christian Henry Frederick Peters, (181 3-1890). 
Univ. Berlin, '36. Engaged on geodetic survey of Mount 
Etna, 1838-43 ; artillery officer under Garibaldi, 1849- 
50; came to America, 1852; Director of Ham. Coll. Ob- 
servatory, 1858 ; Litchfield Prof. Astronomy, 1867 ; under Ham. Lit. 
the Regents of the Univ., he determined the exact longi ^g^^'J' ^°''' 
tude of various cities of N. Y. , and the western boundary Allison's Hist. 

. , 1 T 1 J Sketch Ham. 

of the State ; discovered forty-seven asteroids; published cou., p. es. 
two celestial charts in 1882. The King of Sweden con- Lippin^cou-s 
ferred upon him a gold medal for his discoveries connected 
with the Sun ; the French Government, in similar recog- 
nition, bestowed the Cross of the Legion of Honor, (1887). 
He was buried in the College Cemetery, July 21, 1890. 

Joseph Albert Lintner, (1822-98). Manufacturer at 
Utica, 1860-7 ; Ass't Zoologist in the N. Y. State Museum contemp.Biog 
at Albany, 1868; served twelve years ; devoted himself to ^^^^^J^^^^p'^' 
research into the relations of entomology to Agriculture i6g. 
and Horticulture; appointed State Entomologist, 1880; 
6 



82 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

his publications are embodied in many Annual Re- 
ports. 

George Huntington Williams, (1856-94). b. Utica. 
Amherst, '78; Heidelberg Univ , '82; Prof. Inorganic 
H wii Geology at Johns Hopkins, 1892 ; contributed 68 articles, 
Hams Mem'i. (1884-90), to German Am. Rev. of Mineralogy, Geol. and 
Am. Authors. Palcon., and several monographs in the J. H. series ; Mod- 
ern PetrograpJiy ; and Elements of CrystallograpJiy ; 
member of many scientific societies. 

Among early microscopists, William C. Johnson and 
Dr. A. R. Copeman, both then residents of Utica, did 
original and valuable work Ci86o-7o), the results of which 

Mr W C 

Walker. wcrc noted in the London and Edinburgh Microscopical 

Journals ; Mr. Johnson's mounts and drawings of the 
Greville-Barbadoes deposits aroused great scientific in- 
terest. 

Henry P. Startwell, M. D., (about 1 791 -1867), who 

J. v. Haberer • i • , i- • • i i 

in Trans, o. livcd at Ncw Hartford in his youth, and later distmguished 

H.s, 1887-9, hiniself as a botanist, left an herbarium of 8,000 specimens, 
pp. 188-9. ' 1 ' 

Cat. Ham. now owned by Hamilton College. 

Peter D. Knieskern, M. D., (1798-1871), while living 

J. v. Haberer t r^ • \ 

in Trans, o. at Oriskauy, compiled a catalogue of the plants of Oneida 
H.s X887-9. County, published 1842. 

pp. 187, igi. J ' tr ^ 

George Vasey, M. D., (1822-.?). Spent portions of 
Ibid. his life at Oriskany and Verona, and was intimately asso- 

j. V. Haberer. ^jj^|.g^j with Dr. Knieskcm; Botanist of the Dept. of Agri- 
culture, Washington, from 1872. 

Edwin Hunt, (1837-1880). Amherst. '58. Professor 
in Trans^ a ^'^ of Natural Sciences in the Utica Academy for many years 

H. s.,i887.q, fi-om 1 86=;; collected an herbarium of about 4,000 plants, 
pp. 189-91. -" . ^ 

which was bought by the Asa Gray Botanical Club, 1887. 

Rev. John A. Paine, Jr., compiled a catalogue of 

ibid.,p. igT. plants found in Oneida County and vicinity which was 

published in the Report of the Regents of the University 



NOTEWORTHY CITIZENS OF ONEIDA COUNTY. 83 

for 1865. It embraces the whole of the central part of 
the State. 

In the living generation a dozen men having present or 
past connection with Oneida County are doing recognized 
field-work near or far, or devoting a scanty leisure to study 
and experiment. 

William C. Walker, b. 1847. Since early boyhood 
a resident of Utica ; microscopist ; specialty. Diatoms ; dis- 
coverer of nearly twenty species ; member of the London 
Micros. Soc, (F. R. M. S)., honorary and corresponding 
member of many Continental Scientific Soc's. Catalogue 
of Diatoms of Central N. V. , and papers for Microscopical 
Journals. 

George C. Hodges has done original work in Chemical 
Analysis ; Dr. William Ralph is quoted by Bendire in 
Life HistoiHes of N. A. Birds, as authority in ornitho- 
logy and oology ; his gift to the Smithsonian Institution of 
a collection of Eggs and Nests, the work of over twenty 
years, is important and valuable. In collaboration with 
Egbert Bagg he has published an Annotated List of 
Birds of Oneida County. 

In Butterflies, Dr. Mathias Cook is an expert ; on 
Ferns, both native and foreign, Benjamin D. Gilbert, of 
Utica and Clay ville, is an authority ; and Dr. Joseph V. Ha- 
berer, of Utica, is a specialist in Cryptogams, and author 
of a pamphlet on Flora of Utica and Vicinity for May 
and Jnne. 

Rev. J. W. Whitfield, known in local circles for his 
interest in microscopy, photography, and electricity, is also 
a skilled maker of lenses and of shell cameos. 

Robert Parr Whitfield, {b. New Hartford. 1828). 
Inemploy of Samuel Chubbuck, (see above), 1848-56; Ass't who's who in 
in Palseon., and N. Y. State Nat. Hist., 1856-76; U. 5. ^'"^"*=*- 
C^eol. Survey; Curator Geol. Dept. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist,, 



84 



OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 



Central Park, N. Y., since 1877; original Fellow A. A. A. 
S. ; Fellow Geol. Soc. of America ; Writer on Geology. 

Rev. Edward Payson Powell, [b. 1833), Hamilton, 
'53. A scientific agriculturist, and writer and lecturer 
Adams's Diet "P^n cconomic and educational subjects ; long resident in 
Am. Authors. Clinton ; Our Heredity from God ; Liberty and Life ; 
historical and political pamphlets and addresses ; Nulli- 
fication and Secession in the U. S. 

Albert Huntington Chester, {b. 1843). Columbia 
School of Mines, '68 ; Prof. Chemistry, Mineralogy and 
Metallurgy, Ham. Coll., 1870-91 ; Prof. Chem. and 
Appieton's Mineral., Rutgers Coll. since 1892; since '82 connected 
cycAm. Biog. ^j^j^ the N. Y. State Board of Health. Deposits of the 
Vermilion District, Minn. ; Catalogue of Minerals, ivith 
Chemical Composition and Synonyms. 

Charles Doolittle Walcott, {b. New York Mills, 
1850). Assistant Geologist U. S. Geol. Survey, '79 ; now 
Director U. S. Geol. Survey, a bureau of the Department 
of the Interior. The Trilobite ; Palceotitology of the Eureka 
District ; Cambrian Fauna of North America ; Utica 
Slate and Related Formations. 

Albert P. Brigham, {b. 1855), Colgate, '79. Geolo- 
gist of the Mohawk and Sauquoit Valleys and Finger Lakes ; 
Pastor Tabernacle Church, Utica, 1885-91. Now Prof. 
Geol., Colgate Univer. ; Fellow Geol. Soc. of America. 
Many articles in scientific periodicals on the geology and 
physical geography of N. Y. , especially in connection with 
the glacial period. 



Ibid. 

Appieton's 
Cyc. Am. 
Authors. 



Who's Who in 
America. 



Men of Letters. 



Pioneers, pp. 
321-31, 

Drake's Diet. 
Am. Biog. 



Alexander Bryan Johnson, (1786-1867). Hamilton, 
'32. Admitted to the Bar, never practised. Philosophy 
of Hmnan Knowledge, a treatise on Lang2iage ; Physiol- 



NOTEWORTHY CITIZENS OF ONEIDA COUNTY. 85 

ogy of the Senses ; Religion iti its Relations to the Present 
Life ; Treatise on Banking : Gnide to the Right Under- 
standing of our American Union. 

The following, while known as authors, were especially- 
noted as Abolitionists : 

Gerrit Smith, (1797-1874), b. Utica ; son of the 
Pioneer, Peter Smith ; Hamilton, '18. About 1803 his 
father removed to Whitesboro and in 1806 to Peterboro, 
Madison Co., giving the new home his own name. 

Probably no more disinterested philanthropist than Ger- 
rit Smith ever lived. Refined, intellectual and fastidious, 
he received into the intimacy of family life and welcomed 

Drflkc's Diet 

to his table, despised Abolitionist and runaway black Am. Biog. 
slave. He exposed his health in hiding slaves from their f*""*^^'*^^' 

^ _ " _ nam's Biog. 

pursuers, and braved the sneers of his class for consorting Gerrit smith, 
with "fanatics." Of lands inherited from his father he 
distributed 200,000 acres to poor settlers, black and white. 
He served a term in Congress in 1852. The Religion 
of Reason ; The Theologies ; Nature the Basis of a Free 
Theology ; Sermons and Speeches ; Spe. ches in Con- 
gress. 

Beriah Green, (1795- 1874) ; Middlebury, '19. Prof. 
Sacred Lit., Western Res. Coll.; Anti-Slavery and Tern- j^j^.^ ^^^^ 
perance Agitator; Pres. Oneida Inst., a Manual Labor ^iog. Notes,?. 

X75. 

School ; Pastor at Whitesboro, 1833-74. A History of 
the Quakers ; Sermons and Discourses, with a few Essays 
and Addresses. 

Theodore Dwight Weld, (1803-18 — ) ; studied at 
Hamilton ; also at Oberlin and Lane Sem. ; left the latter 
institution on the suppression of the Anti-Slavery Soc. of 
the Sem., by the Trustees. A resident of Oneida Co. f or ^j^^'^^j^g ^'^ ' 
a few years before 1830 ; licentiate of Oneida Presbytery ; 
a strong anti-slavery agitator ; m. the South Carolinian 



86 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

Angelina Grimke, also an ardent anti-slavery public 
speaker, who had^emancipated a large number of slaves 
inherited from her father ; in 1830 became agent of the 
Soc. to promote Manual Labor in Schools and Colleges. 
TJie Bible against Slavery ; American Slavery as it is; 
Slavery and the Internal Slave Trade. 

Several of our Clergymen are known also as authors. 

George Washington Bethune, (1805-1862), Columbia 
G. w. Bethune and Dickiuson, '22; Princeton Theol. Sem. ; Pastor Dutch 
^!'"''-, ^. Ref. Ch., Utica, 1830-34. The Fruit of the Spirit ; Hist. 

Adams's Diet. ' i .j ^^ j ^ 

Am. Authors, of a Pcnitefit ; Early Lost, Early Saved ; Memoirs of 
Mrs. Joatma Bethune ; Lays of Love and Faith. 

Henry Mandeville, (1804-1858), Union, '26; Pastor 
M.H.,p.4i5. Dutch Ref. Ch., Utica, 1834-41 ; Prof. Moral Phil, and 
Appieton's Rhct. , Ham. Coll., 1 84 1 -9; author of a series of Readers 

Cyc.Am. Bioj^:. .... 

Trier. Cat. and of Elements of Reading and Oratory, which is still 

Ham. Coll. ^^^^ ^^ ^ ^^^^ l^^^j^ j^ CollcgeS. 

Sam L EL Ware Fisher, (1814-1874), Yale, '35 ; Union 
Nat. eye. Am. Theol. Sem.; Pres. Ham. Coll., 1858-66; Pastor West- 
Biog. minster Ch., Utica, 1867-71. Three Great Temptations ; 

S. W. Fisher , t ■ r r y^ l • ^ r\ ■ J IT J 

Mem'i. Sermons on the Life of Christ ; Occasional Sermons and 

Addresses. 

Philemon Halstead Fowler, (18 14-1879) ; Hobart, 

'32; Princeton Theol. Sem.; Pastor First Pres. Ch., 
Auburn Theol. Utica, 1 85 1 -6 5 ; Presbytcrtanism in Central N. Y.; Rela- 
sem., 1883, p. iiojis of Labor and Capital ; Memoir of Major William 

Fowler. 

Samuel Oilman Brown, (i 8 13- 1885) ; Dartmouth, '31 ; 

Andover Theol. Sem. ; Prof. Oratory and Belles Letters, 
Duyckinek's Yxi\.&\. Phil, and Polit. Econ., Dart. Coll., 1840-67; Pres. 

Cye. Am. Lit. 

(Supp't)Art. Ham. Coll. 1867-81. Life of Rufus Choate \ Biography 
p ^^™ ^°"" " of Self- Taught Men, and many addresses and magazine 
s. G. Brown, articles on Literature, Art and History. Resident of 

Mem'l. 1-11 

Utica for a few years before his death. 



NOTEWORTHY CITIZENS OF ONEIDA COUNTY. 87 

William Thomas Gibson, (1822- 1896) ; Hobart, '42. 
A man of varied learning ; Ass't Rector of Grace Ch., 
Utica, 1858-62, and, except for brief intervals, of St. j^^^ii. Eclectic 
George's, 1863-83 ; also of other churches in the county j May, 1895. 
Chaplain State Hospital ; Ed. Gospel Messenger, 1860-72 ; 
Ed. and Prop'r C/uirch Eclectic, 1873-95. 

Isaac S. Hartley, (i 831- 1899) ; Univ. of N. Y., '52 ; 
Pastor Dutch Ref. Ch., Utica, 1870- 1890 ; of theEpis. Ch., 
Great Barrington, Mass., 1892. Prayer and its Relation /^ n. y. Times, 
Modern Thought and Criticism \ Hist, of the Rcformed^'^^^ ^'^^'^'^• 
Church ; Memorial of Rev. P. H. Fozvler ; Old Fort 
Schuyler in History ; The Tivelve Gates ; Verses from 
Various Authors. 

Leicester Ambrose Sawyer, ( i 807-1 898) ; Hamilton, 
'28 ; Princeton Theol. Sem. ; Pres. Central Coll., O,, (since 
absorbed by Wooster Univ. ) ; 30 years resident in Whites- ^- herald, 

•' . . Dec. 30, i8g8. 

boro ; Elements of Biblical Lnterpretation ; Organic Appieton's 
Christianity •. The American Bible \ A New Translation J^.^ ^' ^^^' 

■^ ' ' Vol. v., p. 407. 

of the New Testajnent and Vol. I. of the Old Testament \ 
Reconstruction of Bible Theories. 

Thomas Jefferson Sawyer, (1804- 1899) ; Middlebury, 
'29 ; Prin.' Clinton Liberal Institute, 1845-52 ; one of the 
founders of Tufts College, Mass.; from 1869 Prof. Theol. Am. Biog. 
and Dean of the College. Doctrine of Eter]ial Salvation -Appieton's 

° -^ tyc.Am. Biog. 

Who is God, the So)i or the Father ? ; Endless Punish- 
ment. 

Edward Bright, (1808- 1894). For many years Ed. 
N. Y. Examiner and Chronicle, the organ of the Baptist pjonee^s, p. 
Church ; lived in Utica in his youth, and until about 1841 ; s^s. 

Directory, 1834 

from 1833 or -4, with Dolphus Bennett, printed and pub- jones'sAnnais 
lished in Utica the N. Y. Baptist Register, (founded i824;P-^^-^- 
A. M. Beebee, Ed). Pastor Bleecker St. Baptist Church, 
1 840- 1 84 1. 

Edward Gayer Andrews, b. New Hartford, 1825. 



Ibid. 



88 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

Lippincott's Consecrated Bishop Meth. Epis. Ch., 1872 ; Diocese, 

Biog. Diet. \ ^ > / ) 

Who's Who in Iowa. Residence, since 1888, New York. 

menca. Melancthon Woolsey Stryker, d. Vemon, 185 1 ; 

Nat. cyc. Am, Hamilton, '72 ; grandson of Com. Woolsey ; Pres. Ham. 

Adams's Diet Coll. sincc 1 892. MiriuDi iiud OtJier Verse; Hamilton, 

Am. Biog. Lincoln, and other Addresses ; The Letter of James the 

Just ; Lattermath. 

Charles Frederick Goss, {b. 1852). Hamilton, '73 ; 

Who's Who in 

America Pastor Bethany Ch., Utica, 188 1-5. The Optimist ; Hits 

and ]\Iisses ; TJie PJiilopolist. Residence, Cincinnati. 

George Hodges, {b. Rome, 1856). Hamilton, J"] ; 
Dean Epis. Theol. Sch., Cambridge, Mass., since 1894. 
Christianity betzveen Sundays ; hi the Present World ; 
The Battles of Peace. 

Moses Mears Bagg, M. D. {b. Utica 1816); Yale, '37; 
Med. Coll., Geneva, N. Y., '41 ; studied afterward in Paris; 
established at Utica since 1846; Pioneers of Utica, 1877; 
Memorial History of Utica, N. V. , 1892. 

Other Historians of Oneida County are : Pomroy Jones, 
(i 789-1 884), Annals and Recollections of Ondda Coiuity, 
1 85 1. Daniel E. Wager of Rome, (1823-96), Our 
County and its People ; a descriptive luork on Oneida 
County, 1896 ; and various historical addresses. Rev. A, 
D. Gridley, of Clinton, (18 19-1876), Histoiy of the Town 
of Kirkland, 1874. Henry C. Rogers, (i 832-1 880); His- 
tory of the Totvn of Paris and the Valley of the Sauquoit, 
1881. 

Marc Cook, (i 854-1882), andCHANNiNG M. Huntington, 
(1 861-1894), were known as writers of verses, the former 
under the name of Vandyke Brown ; he also wrote TJie 
Wilderness Cure. 

Harold Frederic, (i 856-1 898), b. Utica, d. London, 
England. Proof reader on the Utica Herald ; chief edi- 



NOTEWORTHY CITIZENS OF ONEIDA COUNTY. OQ 

torial writer for the Utica Observer, 1880 ; editor Albany 

Evening Journal, 1882 ; on N. Y. Times, 1884 ; then went 

to England ; in. a granddaughter of Beriah Green. His 

stories were written in England ; their scenes laid in Amer- Daily Papers. 

ica, and usually in N. Y. State. SetJis Brother s Wije ; 

The Lazvton Girl ; In the Valley ; The Copperhead ; The 

Damnatio7i of T heron Ware (English title, Illumination) ; 

left completed MSS. of two novels, Gloria Miindi and 

The Market Place. 

Clinton Scollard, {b. Clinton, i860). Hamilton, '81 ; 
Prof. Eng. Lit., Ham. Coll., 1891-6. Residence, Clinton. 
Pictures in So>ig\ With Reed and Lyre \ Old and New A.da.ms's Diet. 
World Lyrics \ Songs of Sunrise Lands; Skcnandoa \^'^'^^^'^^^^' 
Hills of Song ; also descriptive prose and prose romance ; 
A Man at Arms. 

WOMEN WRITERS. 

Mrs. Caroline Stansbury Kirkland, (1808- 1864). A 
resident of Clinton in her youth, and wife of Prof. William GriswoWs 

ProsG ^ATritcrs 

Kirkland of Hamilton College ; wrote stories and descrip- of America, 
tions of pioneer life ; also other works. A Nezu Home, Nat. cyc. Am. 

Biog., Vol. v., 

Who II Follow ? ; Western Clearings ; Essay on the Life p. 356. 
and Writings of Spenser ; Persoiial Memoirs of iVashing- 
ton ; Garden Walks with the Poets. 

Mrs. Frances Miriam Berry Whitcher, (1812-1852) ; 
b. Whitesboro. A still popular humorist ; wife of an 

Allibone's 

Episcopal clergyman settled at Elmira and later at Diet. Am. 
Whitesboro. Widozv Bedott Papers ; Widow Spriggins ; Adams's Diet 
and an unfinished story, Mary Elmer, edited and com- ^m. Authors. 
pleted, with biographical sketch of the author, by Mrs. 
Martha L. Whitcher, author of Stray Leaves in the 
History of Whitesboro. Aiiibone's 

Mrs. Emily Chubbuck Judson, ("Fanny Forester "), Author™' 
(1817-1854). While a teacher at Miss Sheldon's Utica Li^fe a" a Let- 
Female Academy, wrotQ Alderbrook and other tales and e. c. judson. 



go OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

verses ; m. Rev. Adoniram Judson, and went with him as 
missionary to Burmah. 

The sisters, Frances and Metta Fuller. Lived at 
Rome and afterwards in Whitestown ; their earhest work 
a poem written in conjunction ; both wrote novels and 
Adams's Diet, vcrscs, and Frances became a large contributor to Ban- 
AUibone^""' croft's History of the Pacific States. Born in the thirties, 
Metta died in '85, Frances in '98. They married brothers, 
Victor. A /I Over Oregon ; The New Penelope ; Tiuo 
Mormon Wives ; The Sejiators Son. 
Griswoid's Mrs. Elizabeth Jesup Fames. Lived in New Hartford 

pp. 246-g. from 1837. Poems: The Croiuniiig of Petrarch ; Cleo- 
patra ; Son7iets to Milton, Addison, Dry den, and Tasso. 
stedm^'and' Mrs. Mary Clemmer Ames, (1839-1884) ; b. Utica. 
Hutchinson. Poevis of Life andNature ; Ten Years in Washins[to7i ; 

Adams's Diet. ... ^ ' 

Am. Authors. Memorials of Alice and PJiocbe Gary. 

Mrs. Theodosia Foster, (" Faye Huntington"), {b. 
1838). An educator of Verona, N. Y. ; has written ex- 
tensively for young people. /;/ Earnest ; A Baker s Dozen ; 
A Modern Exodus. 

Mrs. Isabella Macdonald Alden, ("Pansy"' [b. 1841), 
Lived in New Hartford, where her husband was Pastor 
Who's Who in Pres. Ch. , 1873-6 ; began there the series of ''Pansy Sto- 
ries," embracing about 75 titles, and edited S. S. Maga- 
zine ; Lesson Helps, for primary S. S. work. Esther 
Reid ; A King's Daughter ; Fo7ir Girls at Ghautauqua, 
etc. Residence, Philadelphia. 

Rose Elizabeth Cleveland, {b. 1846). Lives at Hoi- 
Adams's Diet, land Patent ; George Eliofs Poetry and Other Studies ; 

Am. Authors. 

The Long Run, a Novel. 

Mrs. Florence Morse Kingsley, {b. 1859). Daugh- 
ter of the artists J. B. and Eleanor Ecob Morse; lived 
during girlhood at Utica ; m. Rev. Charles R. Kingsley. 
Who's Who in xitus, a Soldier of the Cross : Stephen ; The Cross Tri- 

America. 

umpJiant. Residence, Staten Is., N. Y. 



Ibid. 



NOTEWORTHY CITIZENS OF ONEIDA COUNTY. 91 

EDUCATORS. 

To the Educators already named we add the tollow- 

"thomas Hastings, (I784-.872)- Father of Thomas S. 
Hastings of Umon Theol. Sem. began in .805 a Ut,ca 

a work original and of great value. This was the estab ^^^ ^ 
hshment of a high standard of church hymns and mus.c. 
He held that religion has the same claim upon song as 
upon speech ; composed, published, and taught music 

continuously from 1823-32. 

George Washington Gale, (1789-1862) ; Union, '14 •< ^^^^^^^^.^ 
founded Manual Labor School at Whitesboro, ^^ 3 5 , at p,.^,,^ .^n^ 
the head of a colonizing party of his old neighbors, ^^^^^^ 
founded the town and college of Galesburg, 111. 

George Robert Perkins, (1812-1876) ; Hamilton '52 ; 
Teacher in Liberal Institute, Clinton ; Prin. UUca Acad- 
emy. 1838-44; Prof, and Prin. State Normal Sch A^ ^. «.. p. .s- 
bany ; Director Dudley Observatory, 1852 ; Regent of the 
Univ 1862 ; resident of Utica continuously for more than 
twenty years before his death ; author of a series of 
mathematical text books. 

William Henry Carpenter, {b. Utica, 1853). Cornell, 
Leipzig and Freiburg; Lecturer on N. European Lit., 
Cornell, 1883; Lecturer and Ass't ^^^^ ' ' ^f f ;,"' Nat. cyc a^. 
1881-90 ; succeeded Prof. H. H. Boyesen as head of the b..., voi. ^ 
Dept. German Languages, 1875 ; Grundnss dcr Ncms- 
landischenGrammaUk, Translation of an Icelandupoem 
date A. D 1400 ; and many reviews and contributions to 
Cyclopedias and the Standard Dictionary. 

Edward North, {b. 1820) ; Hamilton, '41 ; Prof. Greek ^^^^^^^^ 
and Latin at Hamilton, 1843-62 ; of Greek Lang, and bio. voi. iv, 
Lit from 1862 ; in constant service of fifty years has m- ^V-^^" ^at. 
structed 2,000 students ; Necrologist since 1855- «^-^^^^- 



92 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

Anson JuDD Upson, {b. 1823); Hamilton, '43 ; active 

as educator ; held chairs of Logic, Rhetoric and Elocution 

j,,;^ at Hamilton, 1849-70; Sacred Rhetoric and Pastoral 

Who's Who in Theol. at Auburn Theol. Sem., 1880-7; Regent of the 

America. tj ■ r ' o 

Univ., from 1874; Chancellor, from 1892 ; Residence, 
Glens Falls, N. Y. 

Hermann Carl George Brandt, [d. 1850) ; Hamilton, 

'72 ; Assoc. Prof. German, Johns-Hopkins, 1876-82 ; 

Ham"c?n; ^^°^- ^^°^- Langs, and Philol., Ham. Coll., since 1882. 

Who's Who in Get'Diau Grammar for Schools and Colleges ; German 

menca. Reader ; also, (with Prof. H. C. G. Jagemann), German- 

EnglislL and English-German Dictionary. 

artists. 

Henry Inman, (1801-1846) ; b. Utica. Brother of 

Commodore Inman ; student under the artist Jarvis ; ex- 

Tuckerman's Celled in portraits, but was also distinguished for landscapes 

Artists^"^' ^"^ miniatures. Most of his works are in England ; por- 

Drake'sAm. traits of WordsivortJi, Dr. CJialmers a.nd Maeaiday; others 

are in this country. In the Capitol at Washington is his 

portrait of Chief Justice Marshall. 

Erastus Dow Palmer, {b. 18 17). Came to Utica a 
lad in 1826, and is mentioned as a resident in the direc- 
tories for 1844-50 ; at first carpenter and pattern maker; 
Tuckerman's afterward executed portrait busts and bas-reliefs, and later 

Bk. of Am. _ ^ 

Artists. ideal pieces. The Indian Girl ; The White Captive ; The 

p. 107. ^" ' Sleeping Peri, etc. The great gilded sheep that for thirty 
Who's Who In years adorned the Utica Steam Woolen Mill was one of 

America. 

Palmer's youthful creations ; specimens of his liner work 
are also to be found in Utica. His home has for many 
years been in Albany. 

Dr. Henry Hogeboom worked in clay and marble in 
Utica between 1850 and 1870 ; excelled in portraiture in 
intaglio. 



NOTEWORTHY CITIZENS OF ONEIDA COUNTY. 93 

M. E. D. Brown, (prob. 1 8 10-1896). Painted portraits 
and landscapes for many years from 1850. George W. 
King, J. B. Morse and Mrs. Eleanor Ecob Morse have 
more than a local reputation. 

Lemuel Maynard Wiles, (^.1826). Taught drawmg 
in Utica public schools for a number of years before 1864. ^J^^o^ ^^p'^-' 
Director College of Fine Arts, Ingham Univ., Leroy, ^- ^ho^o m 
Y. ; Director Art Dept. Univ. of Tenn., Nashville. Resi- ^'"^""^• 

dence. New York. 

Irving Ramsey Wiles, (/;. Utica, 1861). Son of L. M. 
Wiles. Studied at Art Students' League in New York, 
and in Paris with Boulanger, Lefebre and Carolus Duran ; ibid, 
portrait and figure painter, and illustrator for leading mag- 
azines. Residence, New York. 

Arthur B. Davies, (/;. Utica, 1862), of Welsh parent- ^ y. Eve. 
age. His earliest work was illustrating for The Century Post, Apr. .4, 
and St. Nicholas magazines. In his works landscape nI'y. critic, 
broadly treated is subsidary to the human and poetical Apr. .897. 
conception. Residence, New York. 

ACTORS. 

James Henry Hackett, (1800-1871). Comedian and 
Manager ; merchant in Utica 1820-25 ; made his first es-^-— ^'P- 
say as actor in the part of " Dromio " in New York, 1826. Nat^cyc Am. 
Later made a great success in London and New York as 
"Falstaff," a part in which he was said to be without a 

rival. 

John A. Ellsler, (^. 1822). Actor and Manager. For 
two seasons from 1852 or 1853, associated in the manage- 
ment of the Utica Museum, (where is now the store of 
Buckingham and Moak. ) Maggie Mitchell was in his com- g. e. cooper, 
pany. His wife, Fanny, took the principal woman's parts, ^^^^'jj^^^ *° 
His daughter, Effie, has won a reputation in "Hazel 
Kirke." 



94 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

William H. Crane, a native of Mass. Came to Utica 
about 1864 ; was engaged by the Holman Opera Co., com- 
posed chieily of the young members of the Holman fam- 
ily, with headquarters at Utica, — their programmes opera 
bouffc ; remained with them for two seasons ; married in 
Utica ; has been an actor for the past ten or twelve years. 

GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS. 

Of Oneida County men who have filled high civil or po- 
litical positions, we note : 
Nat. cyc. Am. JoHN Jay Knox, of Kuoxboro, (1828-1864). Hamilton, 
^'?*^' '49. For seventeen years Deputy Comptroller and Comp- 

Ham. Coll. troller of the National Currency. 

Ellis H. Roberts, {b. Utica, 1827). Yale, '50; for 
many years editor of the Utica Herald ; Member of Con- 
Adams' Diet, gross, 1 87 1 -5 ; Ass't U. S. Treas., in charge of Sub-Treas- 

Am. Authors. ,_ n n ^ 

ury at N. Y ,1889-1893 ; U. S. Treas., 1898. Govcnuncnt 
Revenue ; The Planting a?td Growth of the Empire State. 
Thomas L. James, {b. Utica, 1831). Postmaster of New 
York, 1873-81 ; Postmaster General of the U. S. 1881-2, 
bIoe.'dTc"' "n^'^r Presidents Garfield and Arthur. Residence, New 
York. 

Grover Cleveland, {b. 1837). Governor of New York, 

1882. President of the United States 1885-9, 1893-7. 

Appieton's Spent several vears of his youth in Clinton. Residence, 

Cyc. Am. Biog . 

Princeton, N. J. 

Wilson S. Bissell, {b. New London, Oneida Co.) Post- 
master General 1893-5, under President Cleveland. Resi- 
dence, Buffalo. 

William H. Watson, M.D., {b. 1829). Brown Univ., 
Nat. Cyc. Am. '52. Hahnemann Med. Coll., Pa., '54. Surgeon Gen. of 
'*'^' the State of New York, 1880 ; Regent of the University, 

1 88 1. 



NOTEWORTHY CITIZENS OF ONEIDA COUNTY. 95 

ElihuRoot, (/;. Clinton, 1845)- Hamilton, '64. Ap- ^^^ p-p-«> 
pointed Secretary of War by President McKinley, July, iSq,. 

1899. 

Dr. M. O. Terry was appointed Surgeon.General of the 
State by Governer Morton, and re-appointed by Governor ^ ^^^^^^^ 
Black. The new military code abolished the office at the Aug. 26. iSqs. 
end of Governor Black's administration, 1898. 

S. N. D. North, ((^. CHnton, 1848). Hamilton, '69. ^^.^^^^^^^^ 
Son of Edward North ; was a member of the National Dec. 16, 1898. 
Industrial Commission by appointment of President McKin- 
ley, 1898 ; Assistant Director of the U. S. Census, 1899. 

Thomas R. Proctor is one of the Honorary Commis- ^^.^^^^^^^^ 
sioners to represent New York at the Paris Exposition of i8q8. ' 
1900 ; appointed by Governor Black, 1898. 

VISITORS. 

There is a vague tradition that Washington once visit- ^^^^^,^^^^^j^ 
ed Old Fort Schuyler, and it is on record that, in con- p. 167. 

^ _,. , , J 1 J • Wager's Hist. 

junction with Governor George Clmton, he owned land m ^^^.^^ ^.^^ ^ 
Oneida County. ^^' 

La Fayette made an earlier visit to the County than 
that of 1825. In October, 1784, four months after Hugh ^.^^^^^^ 
White had arrived at Whitestown, La Fayette, coming to 628. ' 
Fort Stanwix to assist at a treaty between the U. S. Gov- ^Jf^^ pY^'p^^J"^'^^ 
ernment and the Chiefs of the Six Nations, was a guest of •' a Few stray 

Leaves," 1884, 

the White family in their first log house. Forty years p. ,3. 
later he recalled their hospitality, and visited the widow of 
the honored pioneer. 

Thomas Moore lingered long in our valley in the early ^,^.^^^ ^,^.^ 
vears of the century. His reference "to the mighty Mo- ten at the 

. . 1 .1 1 r i. • . 1 „ Cohos,"Moore. 

hawk" recalls the time when the volume of water m the 
river was much greater than at present. 

The visit of the Magyar Patriot, Louis Kossuth, in the 
interest of his country's freedom, is vividly remembered. 



96 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

(See II.), and the presence of other public men is recorded 
under the appropriate dates. 

We are glad also to recall that Clara Barton was once 
a student at Clinton. 

Daniel Webster, Washington Irving, Joseph Bona- 
parte, and Charles Dickens, are to be numbered among 
the distinguished visitors by whose presence our history is 
enriched and endeared. 




UTICA FREE ACADEMY. 



Saturday (".lube 



XII. 
EDUCATION. 

IN a summary of the schools of Oneida County, the point 
chiefly to be dwelt upon will be the gradual adoption 
and development of the Public School system. The sys- 
tem enjoys the sanction of the State of New York, and 
partial financial support from the State Treasury. 

At the first meeting of the State Legislature, after the 
adoption of the Constitution of i I'^J, (George Clinton being 
Governor), an act was passed incorporating the Regents 
of the University in accordance with the scheme devised 
by Alexander Hamilton, and placing them in general 
charge of the colleges and academies of the State. The 
Regents, in their annual report for 1793. called the atten- 
tion of the Legislature to advantages which would accrue 
by the establishment, in various parts of the State, of schools 
for the instruction of children in the lower branches of 
education. 

At the opening of the session of 1795, Governor Clinton 
initiated the great movement for a Common School sys- 
tem. A committee of the Assembly was almost im- 
mediately formed, and soon reported a bill entitled, " An 
Act for the Encouragement of Schools." Without delay 
this bill passed both Houses, and received the sanction of 
the Governor on April 9th, 1795. It appropriated $50,- 
000. annually for five years, and county boards and super- 
visors were required to raise by tax a sum equal to one- 
half that allotted by the State, to be applied to teaching 
the "branches most useful to a good English educa- 
tion." 
7 



98 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

During the five years for which funds were provided, 
about fourteen hundred schools were successfully main- 
tained. Then followed a period of twelve years of strug- 
gle in the Legislature by the friends of Common School 
education to revive, and make permanent provision for, a 
school fund. In 1801 the Legislature directed the rais- 
ing by lotteries, known as Literature Lotteries, of moneys 
to be disbursed by the Regents for academies and schools, 
and this method was practiced until 1821, when a new 
State Constitution was adopted by which all lotteries were 
"" prohibited. 

In the meantime the lottery funds had been invested in 

real estate, but many schools remained closed for want of 

„ , ,„ support. Annually Governor Clinton renewed his ener- 

com.vSch.sys. getic plea for their reorganization ; his successors, Gover- 

"nors Lewis and Tompkins, were equally urgent, and at 



pp. 5-17. 



Ibid., p. 24. 



last, in 1 8 II, Gov. Tompkins was authorized to appoint 
five commissioners to report a system for the establish- 
ment of Common Schools. 

Gideon Hawley, a young lawyer of Albany, was the first 
New York State Superintendent of Common Schools. 
He received his appointment from the Governor and the 
Council, in January, 181 3. The famous Lancasterian 
system, recommended by Gov. Tompkins's committee and 
strongly urged by DeWitt Clinton, was, after thorough in- 
vestigation, ably enforced by the Superintendent. Gen- 
eral unity was secured, and the efficiency of the system 
was considered marvelous. Its most striking feature was 
that of mutual instruction by the pupils, who were by 
turns students and monitors under the larger supervision 
and instruction of the master. 

In the year 18 14, on petition of a number of citizens, 

the Regents of the University granted a charter for an 

1868, p. 5. Academy for boys in Utica. "The first Common School 



Sch. Rep't., 



EDUCATION. 99 

of the city was established in the year 1816, Utica then 

,. 11-11 • 1 riTTi- Ihid , 1875-6, p. 

bemg a small village in the town of Whitestown, one year ,3. 
before it was constituted a town." 

In 181 7, the first Act of the Legislature in relation to 
the schools of Utica was passed. Section 28 declares : 
" All the property of the 12th district of Whitestown is 

^ ^ •' . Sch. Rep't., 

vested in the Trustees of the village of Utica for said free ises, p. 5. 
schools." By Section 29, the village was authorized "to 
raise not exceeding $100. per year for the support of such 
poor children as were entitled to a gratuitous education." 
In 181 8, the first Academy building was finished and 
served as Academy, Town House and Court House. In 
1828, its pupils numbered one hundred and fifty. The 
Directory of this year says that the public appropriation of six 
hundred dollars a year for the Common School is not Pioneers, p. 
enough to make it free. That of 1829 states that gratu-Q?^^^^ 
itous instruction is furnished to as many students as possi- '828. 
ble ; others pay from fifty cents to one dollar and a quar- 
ter per quarter. More than two hundred are in attendance, 
and many rejected for want of room. Tuition fees were 
paid until 1853. After this date the Academy was free. Address, j. w. 
and open to girls as well as boys. " Female pupils had ^''^'*™^^'^ 

. . . ^ ^ Opening New 

from time to time been taught in the Academy, as well in Academy, 
the languages as in other branches of instruction." The fg'gg' p^^^'*" 
matter of free schools for all was so urgently pushed 
by E. A. Wetmore, one of the first six commissioners, that 
he has been called " mainly the author " of the free schools 
of Utica. 

In the meantime, however, in 1837, the need of a char- 
tered day and boarding-academy for girls induced a second 
petition to the Regents. This was granted. The school 
has flourished to this day and is still under the gfeneral di- 

° M. H., p. 464. 

rection of a board of citizen trustees. The first Prin- 
cipal was Miss Sheldon, who afterwards became the wife 



lOO OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

of Dr. Nott, the father of Union College. Later, Miss 
Kelly and her sisters had a long and successful adminis- 
tration. The school has been thoroughly adopted as a 
highly creditable local institution. The formal title under 
which it was incorporated, the Utica Female Academy, 
has been modernized, and the school is well and widely 
known as Mrs. Piatt's School. 

In 1826, Gov. DeWitt Clinton and the able chairman of 
the literary committee of the Senate, John C. Spencer, 
concurred in strongly recommending measures for securing 
a higher standard of qualifications for teachers. Among 
these were : i. A seminary for the education of teach- 
ers. 2. Bestowing state bounty to academies, not as be- 
fore, in proportion to the number of classical students in 
each, but of their graduates who shall have been licensed 
as teachers of common schools. 3. Seminaries for the 
education of females in the higher branches of knowledge. 

In the year 1827, the same Governor recommended pro- 
viding for the common schools " small and suitable collec- 
tions of books and maps, and periodical examinations to 
test the proficiency of the scholars and merits of the teach- 
ers," and the Superintendent of Schools declared that 
*' Instruction should be co-extensive with Universal Suf- 
frage." Gov. Clinton's last message, written in 1828, the 
month before his death, urges a generous school policy 
which should "double the powers of our artisans by giving 
them a scientific education." The system of Joseph Lan- 
caster was retained until about 1827. It was found to be 
unsatisfactory for small rural schools, and not adapted to 
the higher branches of education. The better instruction 
of teachers became the pivot of the movement for improv- 
ing the school system. 

In 1835, Gen. John A. Dix, Chairman, and a committee 
of the Board of Regents, in a report upon this subject, 



EDUCATION. lOI 

advised the establishment of a teachers' department to be 
connected with the academy in each of the senatorial dis- 
tricts of the State. Following this a bill was brought be- 
fore the Assembly for the establishment of a separate 
Department of Public Instruction, whose secretary should 
be Superintendent of Common Schools, and ex-officio 
Chancellor of the University. The same year saw the 
founding of the School District Library. 

In May, 1842, a notable convention of County Superin- 
tendents was held in Utica. Among delegates present 
were Horace Mann, Dr. Wm. Gallaudet, and Dr. Alonzo 
Potter. George B. Emerson, of Boston, made an earnest 
plea for Normal Schools for the training of teachers ; Hor- 
ace Mann supported him, while his own addresses turned 
chiefly on the need of making education universal. In 
December, 1844, the first Normal School, that at Albany, 
was formally opened with twenty-nine pupils. George R. 
Perkins, of Utica, was a member of its Faculty as Professor 
of Mathematics. 

The Utica Directory of 1837-8 mentions two public J^^^^g'^^^'^^- 
schools; that of 1839-40, four public schools. ™4' '^^^*°' 

In 1 844, what is rightly termed the Free School campaign 
was opened. A committee appointed by the Onondaga 
County Teachers' Institute presented a report, the opening 
words of which were : " We maintain that every human 
being has a right to intellectual and moral education ; and 
that it is the duty of government to provide the means of 
such education to every child under its jurisdiction." 

[For entire text of Horace Mann's eloquent plea for 
Free Schools, see Randall's Hist. Com. Sch. Sys. State 
of N. Y., pp. 219-226.] 

A few cities of the State, among them Utica, had during 
the previous five years made some of the common schools 
free. The result of their experiment was so satisfactory 



M.H.,pp. 282-4 



102 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

that the Legislature, in 1846, recommended the adoption 
into the Constitution of a State System of Free Schools. 

At a meeting of taxpayers of Utica, called by Mayor 
Fish in November, 1855, a committee of five was appoint- 
ed to investigate the city's debt, taxes, schools, and the 
adequacy of the existing charter. " The city was then in 
one great school district, and therefore drew no more of 
the State fund than would a district of thirty scholars." 

The committee reported January 16, 1856, and in ac- 
cordance with its recommendations, at an adjourned meet- 
ing, (January 2), it was voted to divide the city into school 
districts of 100 scholars each, and this change was soon 
embodied in a charter amendment. 

In 1856, Andrew McMillan became Principal of the 
Advanced School, (b. Augusta, 1820, d. 1893.) He 
continued to serve the schools of the city thirty-six years: 
as Principal, 1856-67; as Superintendent of Schools, 
1867-92. 

In 1858, George C. Sawyer became Principal of the 
Academy, (b. 1735 ; Harvard '55.) His service lasted 
thirty-eight years, (1858-96.) 

In May, 1865, the Free Academy was destroyed by in- 
cendiary fire. A new building was dedicated January 31, 
1868. At this time the number of pupils was 143, and 
seven teachers were employed. 

In the next quarter of a century, this building in turn 
became inadequate to the needs of the city, and on Sep- 
tember II, 1899, the commodious new Academy on Kem- 
ble Street was opened for use. It is believed that in many 
respects this is superior to any other High School building 
in the State. 

There are now, including the Academy, twenty-live free 
public schools in Utica, employing upwards of 225 teach- 
ers. The average daily attendance is nearly 7,000. This 



EDUCATION. 103 

includes twelve kindergartens, of which nine form depart- 
ments of ward schools, one evening school, and a school 
of pedagogy for graduates. A training school for kinder- 
gartners, established several years since, has this year, 
1899, been made part of the public school system. This 
and the school of pedagogy are under the Department of 
Public Instruction, and bestow diplomas which are recog- 
nized by the State as certificates of fitness. 

Since September, 1896, manual training and domestic 
science have been made part of the school course, obliga- 
tory in the middle grades, and optional in the Academy. 

In the oiiice of the Superintendent is a library consist- 
ing of about one thousand volumes of the best professional 
books, with all the current educational magazines. These 
are for the use of the teachers and the training class of 
the city, and may be drawn by them for home reading 
under the same regulations as those that govern the Utica 
Public Library. 

As an incentive to pride in our local history, and the 
development of patriotism, the Oneida Chapter. Daughters 
of the American Revolution, has instituted money prizes 
for approved essays upon historical subjects. These prizes 
have been offered and awarded to pupils of the Utica Free 
Academy, the Advanced School, and advanced grades of 
the ward schools. 

The Oneida Historical Society has offered similar prizes Sch. Rept 

i8q8, p. 24, 

to the pupils of the Free Academy. 

It is hoped that prizes consisting of books on animals 
will soon be offered in all grades of our schools for the best 
essays on the prevention of cruelty to animals. 

Prizes upon educational subjects are also offered to 
teachers, the funds coming from a private citizen. 

From the earliest settlement of Old Fort Schuyler to the 



I04 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

present time, the list of our private schools has been a long 
one. Among noteworthy schools was one established in 
1827 by Charles Bartlett. Its course of study embraced 
exercises for physical culture, as swimming, riding, gar- 
dening, and gymnastics. The principle of object-teaching, 
M. H., p. 453. that which we moderns call the " Laboratory Method," 
was employed. The teacher of science, Mr. Fay Edger- 
ton, took his classes on excursions for geological and 
botanical research, for triiobite and flower. Among his 
pupils were James S. Dana, S. Wells Williams, and Albert 
Barnes. 

The earliest recorded school was gathered about 1789, 

sch. Rep't., when the future Utica was Old Fort Schuyler. It was 

iMonrefs ^ kept by one Joseph Dana. The plain, severely rough 

59-92- schoolhouse was used on Sundays, until the year 1806, as 

a place of worship and for occasional town meetings. 

Day-schools for little children, including one entitled 
"The Pattern Infant School," Seminaries for young ladies, 
Gymnasiums, and Lyceums for boys, etc., are chronicled 
in surprising numbers. Mrs. Whittlesee, of missionary 
fame, established in 1805, or thereabouts, a girls' school 
of the first rank. 

Nature-teaching was specifically inculcated when, in 
1826, the Utica Lyceum was incorporated with the stated 
purpose of promoting the study of Natural History and 
other useful sciences. 

The foregoing were private schools. In the first Directory 
issued after Utica's incorporation as a city, namely, in 1832, 
we find the names of fifty-six teachers. A detailed enu- 
meration of many of the early schools will be found in the 
Volume of School Reports, 1877-79, and in Dr. Bagg's 
Memorial History. 

In the Utica Directory for 1849-50, Whitestown Semi- 
nary advertises two departments, each with its Faculty, 



EDUCATION. 105 

the first a Biblical School, with chairs of Criticism and In- 
terpretation, Christian Theology, Greek, Hebrew, etc. ; 
the second. Academic. This Seminary and the Academies 
at Clinton furnished an inexhaustible supply of good teach- 
ers, as well as a powerful influence in favor of local literary 
activity. 

In 1788, when George Clinton was Governor, the State 
of New York united with the Oneida Indians in making a 
grant of valuable land in Oneida County to the Rev. Sam- 
uel Kirkland, in recognition of his faithful services. Upon ^^^^^,° g^^^.^^^ 
this tract Hamilton Oneida Academy was built. It was Ham. coii., 
chartered by the Regents m 1793, and received the name 
of Alexander Hamilton, then Secretary of the United States 
Treasury, who was one of the trustees named in the peti- 
tion of incorporation. The Academy was designed to ed- ibid , pp. is, a« 
ucate Indians and whites together. Baron Steuben laid 
its corner stone ; the Indian Chief, Skenandoa, was one 
of the honored guests and assistants. The school was 
opened in 1797. In 18 12, with increased endowment, en- ,^.^ 

^ ' ^ ' ' Ibid., p. 25. 

larged buildings, and a new charter, it became Hamilton 
College. 



T 



XIII. 
LIBRARY; HISTORICAL SOCIETY ; ETC. 

UTICA PUBLIC LIBRARY. 

HE plan of the Public Library as it now exists was the 

product of the brain of Benjamin Franklin, 

(1706-90). 

In 1732, ten years after Franklin had organized the first 

Library Association, and chiefly through his efforts, the 

Public Library of Philadelphia was founded. 

In 1833, General John A. Dix, then Secretary of State 
of New York, and ex-officio Superintendent of Common 
Schools, recommended the establishment of School Dis- 
N Y Evenv ^rict Libraries. This step, thus inaugurated in New York 
Post, Aug. 20, State, met with considerable success, but its limitation to 
the school district prevented the largest usefulness. It 
had, however, served to call the attention of educators to 
the need of providing free reading for the whole com- 
munity. 

In 1835, an Act of Legislature was passed authorizing 
school districts to raise by taxation a fund of not more 
than twenty dollars for the first, and ten dollars for each 
Com. Schs., succeeding, year, for the purchase of books for such libraries, 
pp. 81,84, 85. Later, one-fifth of the State school fund was appropriated 
to the libraries, and the remaining four-fifths to the pay- 
ment of duly qualified teachers. 

A public library had been incorporated in Utica in 1825. 

It was owned by stockholders, and besides about one 

thousand standard books, included the best English and 

M. H., p. 473. American periodicals. It was open to the public at first 

once a week. Nothing is known of this library after 1837, 



LIBRARY ; HISTORICAL SOCIETY ; ETC. IO7 

but it was probably merged in the School District Li- 
brary. 

In 1862, a new arrangement was effected by which the 
library was open for the accommodation of all every even- 
ing, except Saturday and Sunday, from seven to nine 
o'clock. On Saturday morning from ten to twelve, girls u. Herald, 
under fifteen were waited on, and ladies on Saturday af- ^®''- ^' '^^^■ 
ternoons from two to five. The library was located over 
the Central New York Bank on Franklin Square. In m. h., pp. 473, 
1856, it was moved to the new City Hall. '^'"■• 

In June, 1877, the School Commissioners resolved to 
erect a new building, agreeably to an Act authorizing one 
to cost not more than $20,000., the sum to be raised on 
City bonds, of which $5,000. should be redeemed annually ibid., p. 349. 
for four years. A lot had been purchased on Elizabeth 
Street, and the present building was completed in 1878. 

The library thus provided was a School District Library, 
and continued as such under the control and management 
of the Commissioners of Common Schools until 1893, 
when, under the University Law, (Laws of 1893, Chap. 
378), a charter was granted by the Regents of the Univer- 
sity to a new corporation known as the " Utica Public Li- 
brary." The property of the district library was turned 
over to this new corporation, which has ever since had 
exclusive charge of public library matters in the city. 

The main support of the library is from appropriation 
of public money included in the annual city tax levy. 

Through the public spirit of some of our citizens, we 
now look forward to the larger building and better con- 
veniences which the intelligence and growth of Utica de- Apr. 22, May 
mand, and which will provide external conditions corres- '^'*^''^" 
ponding with the exceptionally high skill and intelligence 
with which the Library is conducted. 



I08 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

ONEIDA HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 

The Oneida Historical Society was formed in December, 
1876, for the collection and preservation of relics, memen- 
tos and traditions of the past. At the first meeting Ho- 
ratio Seymour was chosen president. He held office for 
ten years. The Society was but six months old when it 
was asked to take suitable action to commemorate the ap- 
Trans o*H proaching centennial anniversary of the Battle of Oriskany, 
s., 1881-4. August 5, 1877. This was done by a worthy and most 
impressive ceremony. A granite shaft now marks the bat- 
tlefield. This was dedicated August 6, 1884. 

In 1 88 1, relatives of Baron Steuben, "guests of the 
nation," who had crossed the ocean by invitation to be 
present at the centennial celebration of the Surrender of 
Yorktown, (1781), came to visit the grave of the Baron in 
Remsen, Oneida County. A committee appointed by the 
Historical Society received and entertained them. 

It is fitting here to speak of the grave of Steuben. This 
was first made according to his wish in a secluded spot on 
his own grounds in the township of Steuben. When the 
opening of a new road made a removal necessary. Col. 

Jones'sAnna's, 

pp. 43o-4q, 445, Beujamm Walker made the re-interment and placed an 

**^- iron railing around the grave. He also leased fifty acres 

of land to the First Baptist Society of Steuben on condi- 
tion that five acres, including the grave, should be pro- 

E. and F., p. tcctcd and kept in a state of nature. 

^"- In the Colmnbian Gazette of May 3, 1825, preserved in 

the Historical Society Library, is a notice of a meeting 
" attended by a very respectable number," to consider the 
propriety of erecting a monument over the remains of 
Baron Steuben. It was held at " Shepard's Tavern," 
(Bagg's Hotel, kept for the time by Abraham Shepard),and 
William Clarke, Esq., President of the Village, was called 
to the chair. Resolutions were passed, one of which read : 




MUNSON-WILLIAMS MEMORIAL. 



Oneida Historical Society. 



LIBRARY ; HISTORICAL SOCIETY ; ETC. lOQ 

" Resolved, That subscription papers be circulated, and 
that no one pay more than two dollars." A committee 
was appointed which agreed to accept no subscription un- 
less accompanied by the money. 

This doubtless indicates the part which Utica took in jones'sAnnais 
raising funds for the monument to Steuben "erected by p- 446. 
subscription when LaFayette visited this country." Judge 
Jones says, "The tablet is about seven feet by four, and 
nearly a foot in thickness, of the purest limestone," and jj^j^ p^^^ 
he appeals to the honor of the town and the county to give it 
the needed repairs. This stone was inscribed, " Major- 
General Frederick William Augustus, Baron de Steuben." 

Some years before the Civil War, the State Legislature 
appropriated a sum of public money for the erection of a 
monument, and this was afterward turned over to an asso- 
ciation which completed the work, large credit being due ^^^^ ^ ^^^^ 
to Governor Seymour. The corner stone of the new 
monument was laid June i, 1870, and Governor Seymour 
delivered an address. The only inscription is the word 
" Steuben." 

Recently other appeals have been made for better care 

, , -^ 1.1^- U. Herald. 

of the burial ground, and efforts made to obtam an appro- j^^^^ ^^^g^^ 
priation from the Legislature for the purpose. 

March 2, 1882, the Historical Society celebrated the "Semicenfi 
Semi-Centennial of the City, by appropriate exercises in (Trans o. h. 
the City Opera House. 

On July 4, 1883, the Society determined and dedicated ^rans. o. h. 
the site of Old Fort Schuyler, at the junction of Main and s- '88,-4. 
Third streets. 

The State gave three mounted Parrott guns, which have 
been placed on their carriages at the corners of the trian- 
gular plot. A large square base stone in the centre indi- 
cates the monument to come. 



no OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

The Society also took the initial steps for the Centen- 
Trans. o H. jjjg^j Celebration of the settlement of Whitestown, which 

S., i88i-4. 

occurred June 5, 1884; and for a similar celebration in 
Ibid., 1887-9. New Hartford, June 27, 1888. 

In 1895, the Society left the crowded quarters in the 
City Library and took possession of its new home in the 
Munson-Williams Memorial Building, near Chancellor 
Square. 

Here it has received the Battle Flags of the Oneida 
Daily Papers. County Rcgimcnts as already mentioned, (see IV.), and on 
March 15, 1898, celebrated the hundredth anniversary of 
the erection of Oneida County. 

UTICA STATE HOSPITAL. 

More than a half-century ago, in 1843, the State Lunatic 
Asylum was founded. Before the building was fully fin- 
ished, the necessity of enlarging it was reported to the 
Legislature. The Managers in their first report call it the 
" noblest of public charities." At the date of the report 
there were two hundred and ten patients. There are 
now more than eleven hundred. 

July 14, 1857, the main building was burned, entailing 
a loss of $200,000. 

The cottage plan is now under trial to a small extent. 
By this arrangement a colony of about thirty convales- 
cent male patients are freed from some of the irksome 
features of a large institution. 

The present name of the institution is the Utica State 
Hospital. 

MASONIC HOME. 

The Masonic Home for destitute Masons, and widows 
and orphan children of Masons, was dedicated October 5, 




Saiuidav Globe 



OLD Saratoga." 



LIBRARY ; HISTORICAL SOCIETY ; ETC. I I I 

i8q2. On Aprili i, iSog,; it sheltered one hundred 

^ ^ ' ^^ ^ Rep't Trustees 

ninety-six ;adults and forty-eight children. Its one hun- Masonic Haii 
dred and^seventy acres comprise woods and farm, flower p^j^^^^^g^"™ 
gardens and lawns, overlooking the valley of the Mohawk, p- 37. 
They lie upon the border line that divides Oneida from 
Herkimer .County. 

CHURCHES, HOSPITALS, AND HOMES. 

Thci Churches of Utica number fifty, including two Syn- 
agogues. 

There are seventeen Hospitals and Homes. The Utica 
Orphan Asylum, -incorporated April 19, 1830, is said to be 
the first established in the State outside of New York City. 

"OLD SARATOGA." 

One* Revolutionary relic deserves mention, — the old 
cannon, popularly believed to be one of the guns surren- 
dered. by Burgoyne at Saratoga. In earlier times this often 
did duty when a public demonstration was demanded, and 
again; it has lain neglected in back alleys and rubbish heaps, g^^^ ^^^^^ 
At different times it has stood in the yard of the City Hall, Dec. 12, iSqe. 
the Public Library, and the State Hospital. At last, in Mar. Itsqs. 
December, 1896, through the public spirit of a few, it was 
placed at the*^entrance of the State Armory, where it now 
stands, a silent and dignified reminder of the early historv 
of our nation. 



state Consti- 



XIV. 
THE GOVERNMENT OF UTICA. 

UTICA is one of the shire towns of Oneida County, 
shire being the old English name for the division of 
land generally known as a county. A shire town is 
one in which the county business is transacted. 

Utica constitutes the First Assembly District of the 
county, and is in the Thirty-fourth State Senatorial District, 
Oneida County forming the district. It is in the Twenty- 
tution, Art. fifth Cougrcssional District, which includes the counties of 
Oneida and Herkimer, and the Fifth Judicial District, com- 
prising Oneida, Onondaga, Herkimer, Oswego, Lewis and 
Jefferson Counties. According to the last census it rates 
as'a third class city. The population of a city determines 
its rating as first, second, or third class. 

The government of the city is based upon a charter grant- 
ed by the State Legislature. The charter has often been 
changed as the growth of the city demanded. The charter 
of an American city is defined by Seth Low as the legal 
Limitations,! instrument which gives the community authority to act as 
a corporatidn, and defines the duties of its officers. The 
State is the authority behind the charter. The Legislature 
hasipower to compel municipal bodies to perform their 
functions as local governments. 

Besides this authority of the State, which touches the 
city government at every point through the charter and 
State laws, the city feels also the contact of the National 
government through the postoffice, the United States 
courts and marshal, the collection of internal revenue, 
and through certain general election laws. 



Cooley's Con- 
stitutional 



p. 283. 



THE GOVERNMENT OF UTICA. II3 

FIRST VILLAGE CHARTER. 

Chapter 79 of the Laws of New York for 1798 is enti- 
tled, "An Act to Vest certain Powers in the Freeholders 
and Inhabitants of the Village commonly known as Old 
Fort Schuyler." 

A freeholder is a person possessed of real estate, houses 
and lands. 

This Act, passed on April 3 of that year, was the first 
charter of our village. It defines the boundaries of the 
village and gives it the name of Utica, provides that free- 
holders and inhabitants qualified to vote shall elect at 
their annual town meeting five of their number as trustees, 
"empowered to make, ordain, constitute and establish 
such prudential rules, orders and regulations as a majority 
of said freeholders and inhabitants shall judge necessary 
and convenient for the improving of their common lands, 
keeping streets in repair." etc., and further, that "it shall 
be lawful for said owners of houses and lands at their an- 
nual meeting to determine what sum shall be raised for 
such purposes, provided ahvays that such sum shall not 
exceed in any one year the sum of three hundred dollars." 
This was government by town-meeting. 

SECOND CHARTER. 

A second charter was granted in 1805 in response to a 
petition of freeholders and inhabitants asking for more 
power in the management of village affairs. It extended 
the boundaries of the village, declared the freeholders aL^^g^jj^y 
body corporate, and gave them power to raise among them- '805, ch.92. 

Sees I II 

selves a sum not exceeding $1,000. annually for ex- m. " 
penses of the corporation. Town meeting was held the 

i-j^T- i-nr .'-I.- r- ,, Ibid., Sec. V. 

first Tuesday in May, at wnich time five trustees and other 
town officers were elected. One of the duties of the trus- 
tees was to "enact, regulate and publish on the first Mon- 



I 14 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

day of every month an assize of bread." The trustees at 

Jones'sAnnals, , . p 

p. 560. their first meeting adopted a seal for the village. It was 

Pioneers. p.207 heart-shaped, with the letter F in the center. 

THIRD CHARTER. 

Twelve years later, in 18 17, a third charter was grant- 
ed. The village was again enlarged, separated from the 
town of Whitestown, and made a town by itself, and 
divided into three wards. The freeholders now elected 
Laws of N Y six trustces, a supervisor, three assessors, a collector, and 
1817, ch. 192, two constables. The trustees appointed a clerk, treasurer. 

Sec. IL f .1 J 

one or more overseers 01 the poor, one or more pound- 
masters, fence-viewers, common criers, porters, carriers, 
carters, truckmen, scavengers, measurers, surveyors, and 
gangers. This charter provided that a president of the 

Ibid., Sec. IV. village should be appointed annually by governor and 
council. The council of appointment was a body of four 
senators chosen by the assembly to act with the governor 
in making appointments. The president could also be re- 

M H p I moved by State authority. In January, 1824, the board 
of trustees learned "with deep regret that Ezra S. Cozier, 
president of the village, had been superseded in office by 
act of the governor and senate of the state." 

Elections were held by wards. The trustees were given 
power to raise by tax a sum not exceeding $1,500. for an- 
nual expenses of the corporation. The matters which 
had come before the electors at town meetings were now 
delegated to officers chosen for that purpose Government 
ceased to be by town-meeting and became representative. 

Laws of N. Y., The followiug oath, taken by voters if required, shows what 

seJ'v^'^^' '^^^^ the qualifications for voting: " I do solemnly swear 
I am a citizen of the United States of the age of twenty- 
one years, have resided in this village six months, and that 
I am possessed of a freehold in said village, or : I have 



THE GOVERNMENT OF UTICA. 1 1 5 

rented a tenement of the yearly value of five dollars for 
one year." 

In 1830 an amendment to the charter was enacted pro- Laws of n.y.. 
vidmg for the election of the president of the corporation. sg°'j ' ^' 

CITY CHARTER. 

Utica received its charter of incorporation as a city by 
act of Legislature, Feb. 13, 1832. The city was divided 
into four wards. The city officers were a mayor, four jus- 
tices of the peace, a supervisor, and three constables. 
Each ward elected three aldermen, one assessor, and three 
inspectors of election. The aldermen formed the common 
council and appointed the mayor, clerk, city attorney, 
treasurer, etc. The first mayor was Joseph P. Kirkland. ^' ""^■''°°' 
(See III.) The common council was given power to La^s of n. y., 
raise by tax a sum not exceeding $8,000. annually for the ^^^o, ch. 21. 
expenses of the city. In 1840 the charter was amended 
to provide for the election of the mayor. John C. Dev- 
ereux was the first mayor elected by the people. He had^. H.,pp. 236, 
been mayor by appointment of the common council the '*°- 
previous year, 1839. 

Under a State law municipal elections are now held in 
November on the same day as State and other elections. Laws of n.y.. 
The officers then chosen enter upon office on the first of '^«' ^*'- '3- 
January following. 

FUNCTIONS OF CITY GOVERNMENT. 

These are described by Wilcox as primarily the main- 
tenance of public safety, the protection of public health, and 
the administration of justice ; and secondarily the raising of 
money for the maintenance of government. The practical ^^^°^^f ^j^ 
accomplishment of these objects is entrusted to officers Gov't, ch. 11.. 
chosen for that purpose. The governing force provided ^^ '''*' ^^' "" 
by our charter comprises the common council, the chief 
executive, certain administrative officers and boards, and 
the city judiciary. 



Il6 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

THE COMMON COUNCIL. 
THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH OF THE GOVERNMENT. 

(Mayor and Aldermen). 

Each ward of the city is represented by one alderman- 
The aldermen are elected for two years, the odd numbered 
wards electing one year, the even numbered wards the fol- 
lowing year. These aldermen and the mayor constitute 
the body known as the common council. This body is 
the representative of the city, its legal guardian and trus- 
tee. It appoints a president from its members, and deter- 
mines its own rules of action. It works through various 
committees which it appoints, as claims and audits, finance, 
public improvement, etc. 

The common council has control of the city's finances, 
and is responsible for the general good order and for im- 
provements. 

THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE. 

(The Mayor.) 

At the head of the government is the mayor, who is 
elected for two years. In his annual message to the com- 
mon council the mayor makes a statement of the finances 
of the city and its general condition and needs, with such 
recommendations as seem to him proper. The ordinances 
and resolutions of the common council are subject to his 
veto, but that body may within twenty days after such 
veto override it by a two-thirds vote of all its members. 
The mayor has a vote in the common council only in case 
of a tie vote in the election or appointment of officers or 
committees. All deeds and contracts made by the city 
are signed by the mayor and city clerk. 

The mayor appoints the following officials : The city 
surveyor, who has charge of public works and improve- 
ments ; the board of police and fire commissioners, which 



THE GOVERNMENT OF UTICA. I 1/ 

attends to the protection of the city; the town auditors; 
and nominates the board of health, which controls the san- 
itation of the city. Being thus the head of those depart- 
ments of work which most closely touch the lives of the 
citizens, he is in large measure directly responsible for the 
welfare of the city. This concentration of power is the 
advantage of giving the mayor the appointment of minor 
officers. 

ADMINISTRATIVE DEPARTMENT. 

City Clerk, appointed by the common council for three 
years. 

Treasurer, elected for a term of two years. The treas-Lawsof n. y. 
urer m.ay appoint an assistant treasurer. '^^^' " "•'' 

CORPORATION COUNSEL. 

A lawyer appointed by the common council who holds 
office at its pleasure. 

CITY SURVEYOR. 

Appointed annually by the mayor ; makes plans, specifi- 
cations, and estimates for proposed improvements, and 
superintends improvements ordered by the common coun- 
cil. 

BOARDS. 

A Board of Assessors, which consists of three members 
who must be electors and freeholders in the City. The 
term of office is three years, one assessor being elected an- ^g^^ ^h. 738. 
nually. They determine and assess value of all property, 
real and personal, in the city, and make assessments for lo- 
cal improvements. 

A Board of Health, appointed by the common council ^^^ „ 

^ ^ -^ Laws of N. Y. 

on nomination of the mayor, under a law of the State, isss, ch. 270. 
There are six members, two being appointed annually ; (.j^'g"Jg^^^^ 
term of office, three years. The mayor is ex-officio a mem- 



Il8 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

ber of the board and its president. This board appoints 
a health ofBcer, and milk and meat inspectors. It also 
acts as registrar of vital statistics. 

A Board of Charities, which is composed of six com- 
missioners, one being elected each year and a second one 
appointed by the board of town auditors, the candidate 
receiving the second highest number of votes being the ap- 
pointee. This results in a bi-partisan commission. This 
commission fills the office of overseer of the poor. It has 
charge of the city hospital, appointing its physician and 
keeper. 

A Board of Town Auditors, appointed by the Mayor, 

comprising four members, one being appointed each year, 

and the four selected in equal numbers from each of the 

Charter, Sees. ^^'^ leading political parties. Term of office, four years. 

las. "6, 136, It audits all claims against the toiv)i of Utica, such as the 
237. 

payment of election officers and poor expenses. For all 

purposes except those provided for in the charter, the city 

of Utica is regarded as one of the towns of Oneida County. 

A Board of Police and Fire Commissioners. This 

board, four in number, is appointed by the mayor. Two 

members are appointed from each of the two principal po- 

charter, Ap. Jitical parties of the State, one member annually. It has 

Laws of N. Y., the Oversight of the police and fire departments ; as, the 

I 74, .314- organizing of fire companies, appointing a chief engineer, 

chief of police, and policemen. 
LawsofN. Y., h PoUce Matron 'v=> appointed by the Mayor, pursuant 
>888, ch. 420. ^Q g^^^g 1^^ gj^g YioX^s office until removed. 

The CommissioJiers of Com^non Schools, or Board of 
Education, consists of six members, two being elected an- 
nually. Term of office, three years. This board has the 
power to establish common schools as the need arises, and 
has the supervision and control of the schools and school 
property. It determines, subject to statutory limitation, 



THE GOVERNMENT OF UTICA. I 1 9 

what sums are necessary for defraying the expenses of the 
schools. By custom, not however unbroken, the Commis- 
sioners are chosen in equal numbers from each of the two 
leading political parties. 

Thus these last four Commissions are bi-partisan, by 
law or practice. 

Commissioners of Deeds, nine in number, appointed by ^ ,.. .. 

-' ' ' ^^ ... . Laws of N. Y. 

the common council for two years. They take acknowl- i8q4. ch. 88. 
edgments and administer oaths. 

An Examining and Supervising Board of Plumbers and 

LawsofN. Y., 

Plumbing, appointed by the Mayor, pursuant to statute. 1892, ch. 6oi. 

A Board of Civil Service Examiners, appointed by the Laws of n. y., 
Mayor, pursuant to statute. i88^,ch. 410. 

A Sealer and Examiner of Weights and Measures. 

A Keeper of the City Clock. 

A City Scavenger and a City Sexton, appointed by the 
Common Council. 

The Common Council may also appoint fence viewers, 
pound masters, messengers, and janitors. 

WARD OFFICERS. 

Aldermen, (see Common Council), Supervisors, Consta- 
bles and Collectors. 

The Supervisors represent the city in the Board of Su- 
pervisors. They are the legislators of the county, fixing 
the amount of the yearly tax, and in general administering 
county affairs. 

CITY JUDICIARY. 

The City Court, a court of record of civil and criminal 
jurisdiction. It has cognizance of minor offenses. 

Its officers are a City judge, elected for four years, a charter, pp. 
Special City Judge, elected for three years, and a Clerk, '"' '^^' 
appointed by the City Judge, to hold office during his 
pleasure. 



I20 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

Justices of the Peace, two, elected for four years. They 
try civil cases in the city. 

The following officials are required to give bonds : 
Treasurer, Corporation Counsel, Clerk, City Surveyor, 
Collectors, and Policemen, the amount being determined 
by the Common Council. 

TAXES AND INCOME. 

" Taxes are portions of private property which a gov- 

Fiske'sCiyil . ^ f f J e> 

Gov't, p. 3. ernment takes for its public purposes." 

Taxpayers in the city are subject to state, county and 
city taxes. Of these the city tax is by far the largest. In 
addition to the general city tax, property owners are also 
assessed for local improvements. These assessments are 
called special taxes. Churches and other property ex- 
empted by law from general taxation are subject to spe- 
cial tax on the principle that all property benefited should 
bear its share of the cost. The paving fund is both a gen- 
eral and a special tax; one-third of the cost of paving being 
a tax on the city, while two-thirds is assessed on the prop- 
erty fronting the pavement. The city spends money for 
administering the government, for schools, paving, police 
and fire expenses, water, public improvements, lighting 
streets, interest, etc. It derives its income from direct 
taxes, licenses, fines, and excise moneys. 

PRIVILEGE TO BORROW. 

The city may borrow to an amount which, including ex- 
state Consti , , , ■^ -^ 

tution, Art. isting indebtedness, shall not exceed ten per cent, of the 



VIII., Sec. 



assessed valuation of the real estate subject to taxation. 



CITY BONDS. 



When it becomes necessary, by reason of the vote of 
electors or in the discretion of the Common Council, to 



THE GOVERNMENT OF UTICA. 121 

make local improvements in the city for which no pro- 
vision is made in the charter, the city may, with the con- 
sent of the State legislature, borrow the necessary amount 
by the issue and sale of the corporate bonds of the city. 
These bonds are executed by the Mayor and Clerk, under the 
corporate seal of the city, and specify the improvement for 
which they are issued. 

FRANCHISES. 

A municipal franchise is a privilege granted by the Com- 
mon Council to a person, firm, or corporation, by which 
such person, firm, or corporation is permitted to make use 
of the streets, subways, or other parts or divisions of the 
city, to his or their benefit. The franchises commonly 
granted are the privilege of running street railways, 
water-mains, electric light and telephone wires on, through, 
or under the streets of a city. 

The city does not operate any of these properties 
or plants. It is not uncommon, however, for cities to do 
so. In 1896 New York city received $7,000,000, from its 
water- works, ferries, docks and other franchises. Paris™. „ ,^ 

' ' Wilcox s 

received in 1894 from gas and transportation street fran- study of city 
chises $4,000,000. Philadelphia receives from street cargo, 
franchises $180,000. annually, and the city owns its gas 
supply. The city of Glasgow owns tramways, water and 
gas works. 

Utica does own and control a subway for electric wires, 
reaching from Bagg's Square to the City Hall. In this it 
may require the wires to be placed. 



122 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

CITY OFFICERS. 
Spaces to be filled in by the Reader. 

Mayor. 

Name, 

How Chosen, 

Term of Office, 

City Clerk. 

Name, 

How Chosen, 

Term of Office 

Treasurer. 

Name, 

How Chosen, 

Term of Offtce, 

Corporation Co7insel. 

Name. 

How Chosen, 

Term of Office, 



THE GOVERNMENT OF UTICA. I 23 

City Surveyor. 

Name, 

How Chosen, 

Term of Office, 

Board of Assessors. 
Names, 

How Chosen. 

Term of Office, 

Board of Health. 
Names, 

How Chosen, 

Term of Office, 



124 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

Board of Charities. 
Names, 



How Chosen, 

Term of Office, 

Police and Fire Commissioners. 
Names, 



How Chosen, 

Term of Office, 

Police Matron. 
Name, 

How Chosen, 

Term of Office, 



THE GOVERNMENT OF UTICA. 12$ 

Commissioners of Common Schools . 
Names, 



How Chosen, 

Term of Office, 

Town Auditors. 
Names, 



How Chosen, 

Term of Office, 

City Judge. 

Name, 

How Chosen, 

Term of Office • • ■ 



126 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

Special City Judge. 

Name, 

How Chosen, 

Term of Office, 

WARD OFFICERS. 

A Idermen. 
Names, 
First Ward, 

Second Ward, 

Third Ward, 

Fourth Ward, 

Fifth Ward, 

Sixth Ward, 

Seventh Ward 

Eighth Ward 

Ninth Ward, 

Tenth Ward, 

Eleventh Ward, 

Twelfth Ward, 

Thirteenth Ward 



THE GOVERNMENT OF UTICA. 12/ 

Fourteenth Ward 

Fifteenth Ward, 

How Chosen, 

Term of Office, 



Names, 
First Ward, 

Second Ward, 
Third Ward, 
Fourth Ward, 
Fifth Ward. 
Sixth Ward, 
Seventh Ward, 
Eighth Ward, 
Ninth Ward, 
Tenth Ward, 
Eleventh Ward, 
Twelfth Ward, 
Thirteenth Ward, 



Supervisors. 



128 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

Fourteenth Ward, 

Fifteenth Ward, 

How Chosen, 

Term of Office, 



u 



XV. 

GEOGRAPHY. 

" Man is, where he lives. "—^. P. Brigham. 

TICA is situated on the Mohawk River, in the south- 
eastern part of Oneida County, very near the geo- 
graphical center of the State of New York. The pj^ "^^g ^'f^' '' 
latitude is approximately 43° 06' N., and the longitude u. s. weather 

, . Bureau, i8q4. 

75° 13' W. of Greenwich, and r49 E. of Washington, the Nautical ai- 
latitude of the Litchfield Observatory at Clinton being '"^°'"^- 
43° 03 17 -O N. and the longitude from Greenwich + 5 hrs. 
I min. 37.34 sec. (=75° 24 20". 1 1 W., and from Wash- ^^p^"^;^^^^^'^^ 
ington -o hrs. 6 min. 34.65 sec. (=1° 38' 39'. 75 E.). The Bureau, iSge. 
average elevation of the city above sea-level is 500 feet. 410 u. s. Geoi. 
feet is the altitude of the Utica station on the N. Y. Cen- Survey. 
tral Railroad. 

In general, Utica is bounded on the north by Marcy and 
Deerfield, separated from them by the Mohawk River, 
though at North Genesee Street the line now runs 2,000 
feet north of the river ; on the east by Frankfort, 
Herkimer county ; on the south by New Hartford, 
Pleasant Street, formerly called Slayton's Bush Road, Atiasof 

' J •> Oneida Co. 

marking the boundary line at Genesee Street ; and on the 
west by New Hartford and Whitestown, the short bound- 
ary line (a single line for both towns) crossing the Belt 
Line Street Railway at Champlin Street. Two stones 
marking the county line will be found on the River Road, 
just east of Turner Street. The arrow on the upper sur- 
face of that at the right of the road indicates the direction 
of the boundary, and points to one of the natural land- 
marks of this boundary, namely, the large, well-shaped 
9 



130 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

maple standing on the grounds of the Masonic Home. 

This tree throws its shadow in the morning in Oneida 

County, and in the afternoon in Herkimer County. 

Revised Char- The details of the boundaries of the city will be found 

as'amended by in the municipal charter. They may be understood by 

Laws of 1875, reference to the maps in the Atlas of Utica and in the Atlas 

and Ch. q2, i r\ • j r^ j. 

LawsofiSgi. 01 Oneida County. 

The city is set aslant to the points of the compass. 
Atlas of This is partly because of the irregular course of the Mo- 

oneida hawk, which was of great importance to Utica in early 

County. , 

days. 

The many irregularities in the ground-plan of the city 
are due to the fact that the ideas of individual owners, 
rather than any general central plan, were followed in lay- 
ing it out. Greater regularity prevails in the more recent 
L M Tavior Streets. The city would have been more convenient and 

in Trans, o. beautiful if all the cross streets had led into the main thor- 
H. S., 1885-6, .,..,, 

pp.sg. 40.41,44. oughf are directly. A glance at the map of the city will 

show that there are in many cases bends or elbows just 

before streets enter Genesee Street. By this device, good 

corner lots on Genesee Street were secured, to the detri 

ment of the city as a whole. 

Only one street, Albany, runs at all nearly north and 

south ; and only one. Park Avenue, runs nearly east and 

Maps in Atlas wcst. Thcsc are probably the two streets which are com- 

of Utica. , , , , , , • • J 1 • 

monly thought of as most eccentric in their course. 

Genesee Street, the main artery of the city, has a direc- 
tion northeast by southwest. It crosses, at an angle, the 
Erie Canal, which traverses the city from southeast to 
northwest on a line generally parallel with the tracks of the 
Central Railroad; and, after crossing, also at an angle, the 
West Shore tracks a little beyond the limits of the city, it 
is continued through the village of New Hartford. Park 
Avenue, State Street and Washington Street join Genesee 



GEOGRAPHY. ^S^ 

Street at acute angles, giving beautiful vistas and forming 
with it pleasant " squares." 

The city is traversed by four creeks, all tributary to the 
Mohawk, and by a stream which marks a part of the j^^p_ jj^^ity 
course of the old Chenango Canal, and which flows into Directory. 
Nail Creek near the power house of the Belt Line Com- 
pany. Reel's Creek, entering the Mohawk from the north, 
is the stream which has formed the beautiful Deerfield 
ravine, about 60 feet deep at the highest part, a little be- 
low the waterfall. The three creeks which traverse the larger 
part of Utica and flow into the Mohawk from the south, were 
once prominent in the topography of the town, but now 
are often concealed, running in sewer-pipes and under cul- 
verts and buildings. In the outskirts of the city, and in 
the country near by, these and the small streams tributary 
to them have made attractive ravines, usually shaly. Such ^ ^^ ^^^^^^ 
is Cascade Glen, a little southeast of Utica, with Butter- in Trans.o.H. 
milk Fall at its head, and Horseshoe Fall in the lateral ^-'^^^-^'P-''''- 
' ravine . This has been made by a tributary of Starch Factory 
Creek. Halleck's Ravine, in New Hartford, is another 
spot of marked natural beauty. Through it flows a stream 
tributary to the old Chenango Canal. Other examples are 
"Sulphur Spring Glen" (which is the valley of the Starch 
Factory Creek at about the east end of Blandina Street, 
and now known as "Beech Grove"), and "The Gulf," formed 
by Ballou's Creek, which was, within the memory of some 
now living, as beautiful as any of these. 

Oi the three creeks above mentioned, the most eastern 
is Yahnunsaga, or Starch Factory Creek, so named 
from a starch factory which was built upon its banks in j^^^p^^ ^ity 
1807. It has its origin above the Graefenberg reservoir. °;;^=;°;^';«'^- 
It flows under the canal, the River Road, and the Central's ^55. 
tracks, and into the Mohawk in the eastern part of the 
city, about opposite the northern end of Ontario street. 



132 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

Ballou's creek, named from one of the early settlers, 
rises above the old reservoir at Pleasant Street, and forms 
on parts of its course a deep gulf, which crosses all the 
streets leading eastward from Genesee Street, and is 
bridged on Rutger Street by a wide viaduct. In the man- 
ufacturing portion of the city, this gulf was formerly "lost 
in the sluggish waters of the Big Basin. " The Basin was con- 
structed on the Erie Canal in 1828 and 1829, as an expected 
aid to the business prosperity of Utica. The mouth of Bal- 
M. H., p. i8q. lou's Creek, where was once the lagoon that defended Fort 

Pioneers, p. 5. 

M. H., p. 17. Schuyler, was dug out and docked up, the culvert by which 
it had formerly flowed under the canal was stopped, the 
Basin bridged at Broad Street, and water let into it from 
the Erie Canal. It extended nearly up to Rutger Street. 
But it was not a success, and after the original connection 
with the canal was stopped, was gradually filled up. The 
waters of the creek flow through the narrowed Basin into 
the Erie Canal just east of Third Street, and are now rep- 
resented between the canal and the river by an overflow 
weir from the lower bank of the canal, which enters the 
river a little west of the foot of Third Street. 

Nail Creek was so called in the early days of the settle- 
ment. A doubtful tradition accounts for the name as due 
to a "dog nail factory " once situated on its bank. The 
proprietor of this factory had taught his two dogs to move 
the wheel which blew the bellows. But nails had been 

Jones'sAnnals, 

p. 493. previously manufactured on the edge of the creek, and 

Pioneers, p. ^j^gj-g jg g^jgQ g^ story that a wagon loaded with nails was 
overturned in it during the War of the Revolution. This 
creek is artificially fed with springs in the town of New 
Hartford, and flows through the western part of the city 
parallel with the disused Chenango Canal. It is deepened 
and widened for manufacturing purposes on the property 
of the Globe Woolen Company, which owns the water- 



GEOGRAPHY. 1 33 

right. Soon after crossing Court Street it disappears from 
the surface into a newly constructed sewer, flows in pipes 
beneath St. Luke's Hospital, and does not re-appear until it 
has been carried under the Erie Canal, when it continues 
its course to the Mohawk, which it enters opposite Haak 
Street. 

The Erie Canal is twice fed in this county ; first at 
Rome, with the waters of the Mohawk, and also through 
the Black River Canal, with waters from the Forestport res- 
ervoir, which in turn are obtained in part from the Black 
River, but principally from several Adirondack lakes ; and 
second, at Oriskany, with the waters of the Oriskany 
Creek, which, after turning many wheels in manufactur- 
ing towns to the south, and after traversing Pleasant Val- 
ley at Summit Park, flows here into the Mohawk. 

Another tributary of the Mohawk from the south is the 
Sauquoit Creek, which enters the river between Yorkville 
and Whitesboro, after having fallen 1,014 feet in seven- a. p. Brigham 
teen miles and having been used for manufacturing pur- *^ s^^'^iss 
poses at 141 factories. It is a tributary of this creek p- "8. 
which has formed the picturesque Rogers's Glen at Wil- 
lowvale. 

Utica was built upon a side hill. The upper parts of 
the city were reasonably dry, except in the vicinity of fre- 
quent springs. On the western side were gullies and sand l. m. Taylor 
hills. (See IX.). The lower parts of the city stand upon h,s.. isss-ei 
land originally swampy. There was a narrow gravelly ridge ?: ^^ 
running parallel with the river, and a second slighter 
ridge at right angles to it extending a short distance up the 
hill. With this exception, all was marsh. The Mohawk 
is here a slow-moving river, laden with soil, and winding, 
willow-bordered, through broad grassy meadows, dotted 
here and there with spreading American elms. These 
meadows, " the Flats," are subject to overflow in spring, 



134 



OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 



A. P. Brigham 
in Trans. O. 
H. S., 1887-g, 
pp. 114, 115. 



Map of F. K. 
Baxter, C. E., 
Directory, 
1893. 



State Museum 
Bulletin, Vol. 
4, No. 19, p.134. 
A. Guyot, 
qnoted in 
Rep't. N. Y. 
State Weather 
Bureau, 1896, 
P- 417- 



especially when the ice is breaking up. Hence the fertility 
of the alluvial fields. But as these floods are a serious 
inconvenience, the city gave much consideration during 
the years 1 887-1 891, to plans for straightening the course 
of the Mohawk at a line about that of the present northern 
limit of the city at North Genesee Street. It was believed 
by many that such straightening would enable the river to 
clear so rapidly of blocks of ice as to avoid floods, and 
would reclaim land for manufacturing purposes. The 
cost would be excessive for the removal of one bend, 
"the Ox-bow." Less attention has been given recently 
to this plan because of the surveys made by the national 
and state governments working together towards the con- 
struction of a possible ship canal from the Atlantic to the 
Great Lakes, over the route marked out by nature through 
the Mohawk valley and Lake Oneida. 

Viewed from the Deerfield Hills, to the north of the city, 
Utica appears " a city set upon a hill;" and from this fact 
of its topography came the Indian name U-nun-da-da-ges, 
"Around the Hill," which has place upon the seal of the 
municipality. The rising grade of the New York Central 
road as it approaches the city from the east is very marked, 
and the streets running toward the south seem to slant 
continuously upward. If, however, one mount the hill 
east of Forest Hill Cemetery, the city seems to nestle in a 
long and well wooded valley, rimmed about by a distant 
bowl of blue hills. 

The State of New York, in the main an elevated 
region, has yet many physical diversities. A very re- 
markable feature is the deep transverse cut which forms the 
valley of the Mohawk River and of Oneida Lake, open- 
ing a channel from the low country of the Lake region to 
the Hudson Valley, and thus dividing the Southern or Ap- 
palachian from the Adirondack upland. Oneida County, the 



GEOGRAPHY. 135 

central county of the State, is traversed from east to west 
by this broad valley, and contains the watershed between 
its two divisions, the "carry " of the early boatmen, which 
separates the Mohawk system from Wood Creek and is the e. and f., p. <,. 

ju/^4-T1 T^Kr=> (Quoted rom 

summit between the Hudson and the Great LaRes. ine g^ateGazet- 
county contains 1,215 square miles. It is irregularly teeo^^^^^ 
heart-shaped in outline, the right lobe lying on the foot- ^^^e. BagR. 
hills of the Adirondacks, the left on Oneida Lake, and the^^-Tran^;^^^^^ 
apex far down upon the Appalachian plateau, toward the p. loi. 
head waters of the Susquehanna. Therefore the streams 
of the county flow to all points of the compass, those of 
the Black River system to the north, those of the Oneida 
.system to the west, those of the Mohawk system to the east, 
and the Chenango and Unadilla to the south. 

The fording place on the Mohawk which determined the 
location of the settlement of Old Fort Schuyler, (see I.), 
is due to the trend of the hills away from the river at this Pioneers, p. 6. 
point on both sides. Thus, through the gateway of Utica, ^■^^'"''^■' ''• 
the fertile valleys of the river and of its tributary creeks, 
with the background of highlands which includes some of 
the most productive land in the State, were made accessi- 
ble to the pioneers of the region. 

That the character of the soil and climate is not wholly 
unlike that of the Adirondacks is shown by the character 
of the fauna and flora. (See XVII. and XVIII.). 

The average temperature of the upper Mohawk valley 
is 45°, very nearly the average temperature of the State for 
the year. Utica is on the eastern border of the Lower R«i;Humidity. 
Lake Region, and in the summer has the same tempera- vii. 

• -J 11 u 1 Rep't. N.Y. 

ture. In winter, the temperature is considerably below ^veather 
that of the Lake Region, partly because Utica is exposed Bureau.j^e,^^ 
to northerly winds that have not passed over Lake Ontario, 
and partly because, being in a deep valley, it is subject 



136 



OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 



Rel. Humidity, 
plI^TabfeTlX 
Ibid., p. 12. 
W. L. Ralph 
and E. Bagg, 
in Trans. 
O.H. S., 188S-6, 

pp. lOI, 

102. , S23 



Rainfall^and " 
Snow^in U. S., 
p. as. 

Rep't, N. Y. 
Weather 
Bureau, i8g6, 
p. 484- 

Ibid., p. 4^g. 
Rainfall and 
Snow in U. S , 
p. 56. 

Rel. Humidity, 
p. 23, Tablj 
VIII. 



Rep't N. Y. 
Weather 
Bureau, i8q 
p. 490 



Rel. Humidity 
p. 12. 

Report N. Y. 
Weather 
Bureau, 1896, 
p 488. 



to local cooling by a nocturnal downflow of cold air from 
the hills on all sides. 

The mean cloudiness of Utica is excessive, 6.4 on the 
scale of 10., as great as that of Oswego, on Lake Ontario, 
and greater than that of towns on the New England coast. 
The cloud envelope serves as a blanket to the earth, so 
that the temperature is more uniform than it otherwise 
would be, and the humidity less. And yet the tempera- 
ture is extremely variable, especially in winter, changes of 
60° F. often occurring within 24 hours ; and the humidity 
is very great, the air being always more nearly saturated 
than that of Oswego. 

The probability of rain any day in the year is greater 
in this region than elsewhere in the United States, though 
the amount of rain in any one day is not usually great. Octo- 
ber is the most humid month. In the State of New York 
as a whole, precipitation is roughly proportioned to alti- 
tude. Yet while the mean annual precipitation of the State is 
36. 5 inches, that of Utica, in spite of low elevation, appears 
to be 43.09 inches. To these frequent rains the beautiful 
verdure of the region is due. 

Utica lies in a belt of land including Oneida and Lewis 
Counties and a part of Madison Count}', which has, in gen- 
eral, the greatest snowfall east of the Rocky Mountains. 
For the years 1 889-1 892, the average annual snowfall at 
Utica was 133.9 inches. The average is still greater a 
little north of Utica. 

Prevailing winds are easterly and westerly. These are 
cool at night, and relatively moist. Thunderstorms often 
come up from the country south of the central lakes and 
near the borders of Pennsylvania. They move usually 
eastward over the valley, at an average rate of 30 miles 
an hour. 



GEOGRAPHY. 137 

The area of the city of Utica is about 8^ square miles, p j^ g^^^^^ 
It is divided poHtically into 1 5 wards, numbered in the ^^\^ city 

. 1 •, 1 TU^^Q Directory. 

order of their organization as the city has grown. 1 nere circular of 

° Ch. of Com- 

are (1899) 42 miles of paved streets. merce, 1899. 

The population of Utica was, in 1890, according to the 

■ r. 1 u XT \/ 1 Circular Cb. of 

United States census, 44,007 ; in 1892, by the New Vork Commerce, 
State enumeration of that year, 46,608 ; and in 1899, it is 'Sqq. 
estimated at 60,340. 

Being on the eastern boundary of the first "westward 
extension of New England," Utica has fewer people of 
Dutch and Palatine German, and more of English ancestry mskes civii 
than have the towns immediately east and " Down the ^^^g^-'g"^^^^' 
Valley." The idiom of the people is that of New Eng- 
land rather than that of the Mohawk valley or the Hud- 
son valley, and the pronunciation differs but little from 
that of New England. 

After 1 801, there was a considerable immigration of 
Welsh settlers, some of whom made their homes in Utica, 
and more of whom took lands in the county to the north, 
especially in Trenton, Steuben, and Remsen. There are ^.^^^^^^ ^^ 
also many Irish-American, and German-American citizens, 
the latter not descended from the German Palatines down 
the Mohawk, but from later immigrants. 



XVI. 
GEOLOGY, 

" The vicinity of Utica is one of the best localities in the United 
States for a young student to begin the study of stratigraphic geology 
and palaeontology. To this fact I am largely indebted for such suc- 
cess as I have had in dealing with problems to the elucidation of which 
a knowledge of stratigraphy and paleontology is necessary." — C. D. 
Walcott, Director U. S. Geol. Survey. 



T 



HE fact that Utica may claim able geologists among 
its noteworthy citizens is not a chance. New York, 
state Museum ^j-^g mother State in geologic nomenclature, has exposed 

Bunetin,Vol.4, ... i-> o ' r" 

No. 19, p. 137. within its borders a more complete and extensive series of 
the formations below the Carboniferous and above the 
Cambrian than any other State in the Union. Of the fif- 
teen central counties embraced in the Third Geological 
vey Third District of the State, Oneida County has the greatest num- 
Geoi. District, bgj- q{ different kinds of rock. It ranks with Eastern New 

p. aSQ. 

York in the completeness of its Lower Silurian rocks, and 
with Western New York in the completeness of its Upper 
Silurian rocks. The formations of the county begin with 
inTrans^ *™' the Archaean and pass on well into the Devonian. Ex- 
o.H. s., 1887-9, elusive of the Quaternary, sixteen fairly distinct geo- 
logical horizons have representation within the county. 
Of these sixteen, five, namely, the Trenton, the Utica, the 
Oriskany, the Clinton, and the Oneida, have their typical 
development here, and take their names from our local 
geography. The region offers few intricate problems, the 
strata of organic and sedimentary deposits being for the most 
part unmodified save by ordinary geological forces. An 
Ibid 118 hour's journey from Utica will place one upon almost any 
important rock of the county. A walk of three or four 



GEOLOGY. 



139 



miles often covers as many geological epochs. For in- 
stance if one start in the.- Gulf" in East Utica, go up 
Third 'street, through Sylvan Glen, and cross two fields 
at its head, he has walked upon Utica slate, Hudson 
River shales, Oneida conglomerate and several rocks of 

the Clinton group. 

The facilities about Utica for the collection of organic 
remains are great, as at Trenton Falls for the Trenton at ^ ^ ^^^^^^ 
Holland Patent for the Utica, at Rome for the Hudson .-^^j^-oi; 
River, at New Hartford and Kirkland for the Clinton, and h. a^sB... 
at Waterville and Oriskany Falls for the Lower and Upper 
Helderberg. Directions for collecting and preparing speci- 
mens will be found in the respective parts of a bulletin 
issued by the Smithsonian Institution. (In the Public 
Library, Bulletin U. S. National Museum, No. 39; Part 
B., 1891, Plants; Part K., 1895, Fossils; Parti., 1895. 
Rocks; PartH., 189-5, Minerals.) 

In prehistoric times, several tens of millions of years ^ ^ 
ago according to the lowest probable calculation, the nu- ^-^J«j,J^_ 
cleus of the North American continent lay in the ocean m Book. pp. 444. 
the form of a great V, the point being north of the present ^*5- 
region of the Great Lakes, the longer arm extending up 
into Alaska, and the shorter arm into Labrador. South- ibid., p. .37. 
east of the point lay a small island, which was the nucleus 
of the State of New York, the present region of the Ad,-^^^^^ ^^^^^^ 
rondacks The rocks of this region are crystalline, m- B^uetin,voi.4. 
eluding gneiss, granite, diorite, and norite. These rocks No. ., pp- .s, 
were originally sedimentary, probably deposited from the 
broken-up material of the cooled world-crust ; but they 
were afterwards subjected to metamorphism. Though a 
simple life may have existed at the time when they wereOa-a-^R^ 
deposited, they probably contain no fossils. Thrust up^ook. 
through them are solid masses of Plutonic rocks, perhaps 
plastic when forced to the surface. 



, p- 241- 



I40 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

Rock of this period appears also at Little Falls, where 
state Museum ^he red and gray Laurentian granite has been forced, 
Bunetin,Voi.4, dome-like, through the Trenton limestone and Utica and 

No. iQ, p. 138. 

Hudson River shales which once lay above it. 

A. p. Brigham Archaean rocks cover the north-eastern portion of 

H. s.,*i837 9, Oneida county, the Black River forming in general the 

p- »°3- boundary line. 

To the south of the Adirondack island was the Appal- 
achian region ; its highest part a long, slight ridge rising 
above the surface of the sea ; its lower portions somewhat 

Dana'«Re- Submerged, a sea-border receiving sediment from the land. 

vised Text- Between island and ridge was a clear, if not very deep, 
sea, in which marine life abounded. In this sea lay the 
greater part of New York State, receiving the stratified 
deposits that mark the beginning of Palaeozoic time. 

Oneida County is situated at the southwestern base of 
the Adirondacks, and thei^efore all the stratified fossil- 

in Tran".^o*'^ ^^^^^"S Tocks run across it in southeast and northwest 

H s. ,1887-9. bands, gradually assuming a more nearly east and west 
direction. The strata slope gently southward. 

About the slowly-sinking shores of the Adirondack 
island, in the shallow, sandy water, the Cambrian rocks, 
including the Potsdam sandstone, were deposited. 
Nothing in modern geologic research is more interesting 
than the study of the Cambrian rocks, by C. D. Walcott, 
W. B. Dwight, and S. W. Ford, who have shown that 

State Museum /• 1 o 

Buiietin.Voi.4, many limestones of the State, as well as sandstones, be- 

No. IQ, p 145. \oi)g to this period. It is believed, however, that this 

formation is wanting in Oneida County, where the waters 

were becoming deep enough to favor the formation of 

the Trenton beds. 

The opening of the Lower Silurian age is marked in this 
region by the deposition of an impure, sandy or gritty 
limestone, the calciferous sand-rock. This appears, in 




Sherman 1'all, i Iv'en roN Falls. 



I'liotoyraijh of N. II. I larton 



GEOLOGY. 14 T 

Oneida County, only in the bed of the West Canada creek, 

on the boundary Hne of Herkimer County. It overhes the ^ p Brigham 

up-thrust Archaean rock at Little Falls, and in its inter- >« Trans, o.h. 

S., 1887-9, p. 103. 

stices are found there and at Middleville the quartz crystals 
called "Little Falls diamonds." It is known by its 
brownish color, and the rough, knotty appearance due to 
the weathering off of particles of lime, leaving the sandy 
portions. 

The purer limestones of the Trenton group were next 
deposited. These were formed by organic life, just as 
limestone is being formed in coral seas to-day. (See 
Dana's "Corals and Coral Islands.") The average depth ^^ q^^^t.^ook, 
of the sea-bottom must have been at least 100 feet, and itP'59- 
is probable that the climate of the region was warm. The 
thickness of the deposit favors the belief that the reefs ^^ „ , ,. , 

^ Dana s C orals 

were sinking at about the same slow rate as that at which and corai 

1 1 •! 1 p f • 1 1 Islands, pp. 

they were built up, perhaps live feet m a thousand years. 258,350,360. 

Of the four stages of the Trenton, two are found in the 
county, the Black River limestone sparingly, and the 
Trenton limestone in great abundance. The former ap- 
pears along the Black River in the town of Boonville. y^^^^^^jj. 
The latter enters Oneida County from Lewis County, 260. 
where it is about three miles wide, and extends to the 
West Canada Creek. At Trenton village it is about seven 
miles wide. It is well seen at Trenton Falls, at Holland 
Patent, at the bottom of Lansing's Kill, and along the 
Mohawk River in Western. At Trenton Falls the two and corai 
varieties of the limestone are marked, the upper hard, islands,?. 352. 

' ^" ' A. p. Bngham 

grey, crystalline, massive, thick-bedded, a good building in Trans, o. 
stone, of which the State Hospital Buildings at Utica arep\oi;'/ ^^ 
constructed ; also, for example, the foundation of the Park 
Church. The lower variety is nearly black, thin-bedded, 
soft, and composed almost wholly of organic forms. 
Fossils abound, especially of sponges, corals, crinoids, 



H. S., 1887-Q 
p. 104. 



142 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

A D D ■ u crustaceans, and various classes of mollusks, which last 

A. P Brigham ' ' 

in Trans, o. are characteristic. The vicinity of the Falls has afforded 
a rich field for research. 

Half a mile east of the ^orge at Trenton Falls a thin 
bed of limestone outcrops in a ravine. This bed Mr. Wal- 
cott found especially rich in trilobites, and from it he made 
thin rock sections for study, with transmitted light, o^ 
the appendages of Calymene Senaria, Ceraurzis Pleurex- 

waicott's anthemus, and to a limited extent, of Asaphus Platyceph- 

The Trilobite, •, , • 111 1 r 

p. 212. alus. He thus proved that trilobites had legs before 

any specimens with evident legs were discovered. This 

work was done in 1876 and 1877. Since then, the char- 

visedText- acteristic trilobite of the Utica slate, Triarthnis Bccki, 

Book, p. 238. jjg^g been found with legs in the slate near Rome. 

Many of the corals of the Trenton are cup-shaped, and 
Dana's Re- ^^^^ *^^ radiating plates. Hemispherical and branching 
vised Text- corals are also found. Brachiopod shells are characteristic. 
Cephalopods are especially common and those of the Or- 
ibid., pp. 255, thoceras family were the la:rgest living creatures in the 
256,257- seas. Some Orthoceras shells are from 12 to 15 feet long. 

The entire thickness of the Trenton formation is 300 

state Museum ^ 

Buiietin,voi.4, feet. It has a double system of vertical joints. 

1 o. ig, p. Mg. 'Y\iQ Utica slate marks the passage from clear oceanic 
waters to shallow coast waters turbid with silt, and a cor- 
responding change of living forms. It covers a much 

in Trans^o^^ ^^'^S^'^ ^^'^^^^^ wcst and southof the Trenton in all its 

H. s., 1887-g, range. It passes northwest through the county, in a band 
from six to eight miles wide extending from Utica and 
Deerfield to Ava. 

Its thickness at the typical locality in the vicinity of 

,„ , ,, Utica is 600 feet. It is seen in the "Gulf " in East Utica, in 

Walcotl's 

uticasiate and the canal, in the flats for some distance along Reel's and 

mations, p. i. Ballou's Crecks, and in the ravines in Deerfield. These 

and Holland Patent are the best localities for fossils. The 



GEOLOGY. 143 

slate shows no change of character throughout, whether Vanuxem. p. 
mineral or fossil. It is nearly black in color, fine grained, a. p.Brigham 
and breaks up rapidly under exposure. It was classed by H.l'J'l'g'sy^'. 
Dana as marking the Utica epoch of the Trenton period, pj^ ^^^^^^ 
but is placed at the State Museum with the Hudson River Byiietin,voi.4, 
group. Mr. Walcott argues that both lithological charac- No. 19. p. '46. 
ter and organic remains entitle it to represent a separate 
epoch, in which he includes also some lead-bearing lime- 
stones and some sandstones, as well as shales, of Central 
and Southern States. " Of one hundred species . . . 
occurring" in the Utica slate, "fifty-four are peculiar to it. 
In the town of Deerfield, N. Y., the Trenton and 
Utica formations are as intimately connected, lithologi- ^^1*=^^ f^'^J^^^ 
cally, as the Utica formation is with the succeeding Hudson 
River formation." 

In the fauna of the Utica slate, graptolites predominate. 
The plume-like impressions of these cover the upturned 

, ,. • i ji 11 A. p. Brignam 

surface of the slate. In the livmg state there were cells ^^ ^rans. o. 
along the notched margms,one for each notch, from which h.s. 1887 <,, 
the little animals protruded themselves. They belonged ^^^^^ Re- 
to the hydroids. The carbonaceous matter and dark color vjsed Text- 
of the slate are probably due to these fossils. The trilo- a. p. Brigham 
bite Triarthrus Becki is also characteristic, but is rare in H.I^.^gy-g.' 
localities where graptolites abound. Heads of this trilobite p. 104^^^ 
in great numbers may be found in the gulf east of Third (See also Plate 
Street. They are marked with transverse furrows. iJ->^^ ^^^^^^ 
This trilobite is never found in the Trenton limestone be- 10. 
low the upper shaly beds that mark the transition to the 
Utica slate. 

The slate has within the county two saline springs of 
commercial importance, the Boonville Mineral Spring and 
the Oneita Spring at Utica. 

Two sets of vertical joints may be seen in the creek east vanuxem, p. 
of Utica, one N. 30° E. and the other N. 55° E. "• 



144 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

Next ab'/e the Utica slate, come the shale and sand- 
stone of the Hudson River group. The Frankfort shale at 
the base has thin layers of sandstone. This group enters 
the county on the eastern border of New Hartford. Only 
the lower mass, (the Frankfort shale), is here present. It 
A. p. Brigham ^s 9- ^^g'^^ browuish, saudy shale, with few fossils. It ap- 
in Trans, o. pears at Sylvan Glen, east of Third Street, is the mass at 

H.S., 1887-9, .„ 

p. 105. Forest Hill Cemetery, and shows a thickness of 40 feet in 

Halleck's Ravine. It passes north of Rome, into Lewis 
County. Isolated patches on the Deerfield hills and the 
higher parts of Steuben show that it once covered a wider 
area. The upper division, (consisting of the Lorraine 
and Pulaski shales), begins near Rome and extends north- 
ward into Lewis County. Sandstone begins to appear 
south of Rome, and increases until, as in quarries in 

Ibid., p. ,15. Westmoreland, it wholly replaces the shale. It is light 
grey in color, and a good building stone. Hudson River 
rocks extend from New Hartford to Annsville. A saline 
spring. Halleck's spring in Westmoreland village, is found 
in this formation, and there is a sulphur spring in Halleck's 
Ravine. The springs at Saratoga and Ballston originate 
in rock of the same stage and general character. 

It had always been supposed that cephalopods and sea- 
weeds were the highest forms of life existing in the Lower 
Silurian. But recently Mr. Walcott has announced the 

State Museum r n a i i i i i i 

Buiietin,Voi.4, Presence 01 nshes ; a land-plant, an acrogen, has been 
No. 19, p. 150. discovered in Great Britain ; and insects have been report- 
ed from Europe. 

To the Hudson River rocks, succeed those of the Me- 
dina epoch, with the Oneida conglomerate at the base. 
This is a pudding-stone of quartz pebbles cemented to- 
gether more or less firmly. Sometimes the upper layers 
become a coarse blue or grey sandstone, the former com- 
pact and durable in its best layers. The weathered blocks 



GEOLOGY. 145 

from this formation have usually a rusty color, due to the 
presence of iron pyrites. 

The conglomerate is the stone commonly used for foun- ^ _ „ . . 
dations in the city of Utica. It is quarried on the Frank- in Trans, o. 
fort and Graefenberg hills, and at the head of Sylvan Glen, p \^6'/ 
In the first-mentioned place, layers of soft, dark shale are 
seen. The common fossils are fucoids only. In the vi- Dana's Man- 

r . 1 . , nal, p. 2i8. 

cinity of Utica, the mass is from i 5 to 40 feet m thickness, 
though elsewhere in the county it is 120 feet thick. It 
extends from New Hartford to Florence. 

These rocks mark the beginning of Upper Silurian time, 
when New England and eastern New York were elevated, ^- ^- Bngham 

° _ in Trans. O. 

and the Green Mountains were made. We do not find h. s., 1887-9, 
Upper Silurian rocks in eastern New York. But Oneida ^■'°" 
County was still in part submerged. The coarse sediments state Museum 
found in the lower layers of the conglomerate furnish a j^^ ^^* p j^^"*' 
record of upheaval and agitated waters. The source of 
the fragments and the method of deposition form one of 
the obscure problems of geology. 

The upper rocks of the Medina epoch show in the north- ^■^^^"^q*'^ 
western portion of Oneida County only a small beginning ^jog; '^^'■^' 
of the development which becomes marked in western l^uueti^^vo?.^ 
New York. No. 19. p. 15.: 

The rocks of the Clinton group rest on this sandstone 
from east to west throughout the county. They consist a. p. Brigham 
of bluish-green shales, red, blue and grayish calcareous ^ g^ 1887-9. 
sandstones, and two thin beds of red oolitic iron ore. ThisP-'°7- 
ore looks like an aggregate of small shot, and has many 
fossils of small size. It is extensively mined in the vicin-g^^^^ Museum 
ity of Clinton, where it has been studied by Prof. A. H . Buiietin.vou, 
Chester, formerly of Hamilton College. (See his address be- ^ p ^j.." ^^^ 
fore the Utica Mercantile and Mfg. Assn., 1881). The Clinton in Trans, o. 

. , , . , , , , H. S., 1887-9, 

rocks are variable m character, and among the most valu-p. ,,7. 
able we have. Verona Springs rise through the shale. 



146 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

Rogers's Glen at Willowvale shows it to great advantage. 
In general, the presence of the iron-bearing beds is indi- 
cated by the reddening of the roads as one drives southwest 
from Utica. The formation may be examined in Kirkland, 
A. p. Brigham Clinton and Westmoreland, and near Verona. There are 

in Trans. O. 

H. s., 1887-g, numerous quarries, and the building-stones of the group 
^' "\ . , may be seen in the Stone Church at Clinton, and in Grace 

A. r. tsrignam •' ' 

in Trans, o. and Calvary Churches, the Church of the Reconciliation, 
p.'ioy] ' and the Memorial Presbyterian Church at Utica. The 
red-brown sandstone of which the Tabernacle Baptist 
Church was built comes from rocks of this group near 
Frankfort. The fossils found are numerous marine plants, 
brachiopods, corals, and tracks of crustaceans. 

The Niagara group is not important in this county, but 
state Museum it appears in a thin band of shale and limestone. The 
Bulletin, voi.4,|^gg^ development is in the town of Vernon, alone: Sconon- 

No. ig, p. 154. _ ° 

A. P. Brighamdoa Creek. The blue shale in the southern part of Kirk- 
H. s.. i°887-89, land belongs to this period and contains the concretions 
p. 107. peculiar to it. These are often two feet in diameter, and 

A. p. Brigham ^ 

in Trans, o. the coats crack off like the layers of an onion. The 
.s., 1887-Q, concretions are of limestone, and largely compose a layer 
a foot or more thick in the shale. 

In many of the ravines of Paris, and over an irregular 
area in New Hartford, Kirkland and Marshall, in the Oris- 
kany Valley, on College Hill, Clinton, and in the towns of 
Westmoreland and Vernon, may be seen the red shale of 

A. P. Brigham ■ 1 ■ • 1 1 i 1 • 

In Trans, o. the Salina group. With its occasional green layers and hemi- 
H. s., 1887-9, spherical green spots. It is quarried for the walks of the 
A. p. Brigham Hamilton College campus in the ravines at either side. It 

in Trans. O. . /• -i tj 1 -n j i 

H. s., 1887-9, contains no tossils. It appears on hill-tops and passes 
pp. 108, 109, down hill sides, southward. The upper members of the 

116, n8. 

group, which are so rich in gypsum and salt in Onondaga 
County, are but little developed in Oneida County. 

The Lower Helderberg rocks indicate a change to deep 



GEOLOGY. 147 

seas with advancing forms of life. The waterlime group 
is well shown in Kirkland, Marshall and Augusta. It is 
used in this county as a source of quicklime. In this for- 
mation, near Waterville, Mr. A. O. Osborn discovered in 
1882 a fosbil scorpion which has been named in his honor. 
It is possibly the earliest air-breather yet found in America. 
An interesting crustacean, Eurypterus Remipes, marks this 
group. 

The upper members of the Lower Helderberg appear at 
Oriskany Falls. They are hard blue limestones with great g^^/i^t?^ vo'i? 
abundance of Upper Silurian brachiopods, corals, and No. 19, p. 158. 
crinoids. Life at this period was still largely marine. A 
few land plants, similar to the equiseta, occur. 

The Oriskany sandstone marks the close of the Upper 
Silurian, and the beginning of the Devonian age. It is 
found in Augusta and Marshall, especially in the vicinity ibid., p. isg. 
of Oriskany Falls, where it is 20 feet thick, coarse in tex- 
ture, and of light yellowish color, turning brown by expo- 
sure. Large brachiopod shells are found in this rock. 

The Cauda Galli and the Schoharie grits do not appear 
west of Herkimer County. But the Corniferous rocks are 
well developed. The Onondaga below is thin and light in a. p. Brigham 
color. The Corniferous above has extensive layers of horn- \° Z^^^^^ °' 

•' H. S., 1887-9, 

stone or chert, the nodules of which may be seen in every p-iqq- 
field and stone wall in the southern part of the county. 
Organic forms are profuse, including corals, crinoids, shells, 
and a peculiar species of trilobite. 

Rocks of the Hamilton period are the latest found in ibi^., p. „o. 
this county. The Marcellus shales at the base are dark 
in color, and similar to the Utica slate, or the shales of the 
coal formation. They cover diagonally half the town of 

° ■' State Museum 

Sangerfield, along the valley of Chenango Creek. In Bunetin,voi.4, 
Bridge water, coal has been found in this shale; and true ^°' '^' ^' '^''' 



148 



OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 



H. S., 1887-9, 
p. 110. 



cannel coal, in small quantity, has been found at Water- 
ville. These deposits have no commercial importance. 
The Hamilton shales, lighter in color, rest upon the 

Guide to St. . . . . 

MuBeum,p. lesMarcellus shales. They have soft sediments, limestone 
in Tra^^s^o^™ ^^"^^' ^^^ abundant remains of life. These shales cover 
the highest land in the southern part of the county, and 
extend north to Paris, where they cap Tassel Hill. 

All the rocks in the southern part of the county have 
been more or less scored away by the streams running 
north and south from the limestone watershed. 
Buiietin!voL™ The characteristic fishes of the Devonian are not report- 
No, iQ, p. 158. ed within the county. 

To the Hamilton group belongs the North River blue- 
stone, which is used largely for sidewalks in Utica. It is 
a durable variety of sandstone which, because of its even 
texture, can be sawed into any required shape. It has 
been received from Seneca Falls, but now comes more 
often from quarries in Ulster County. Years ago, Trenton 
limestone was used for sidewalks in Utica, as on Whites- 
boro Street and lower Genesee Street ; but it disintegrated 
so rapidly as to be very uneven on the surface. 



Ibid., p. IQ2. 



Many of the stone structures in Utica illustrate the rich- 
ness of the county in building stone. Any building stone 
should have in a wall the precise attitude nature gave it 
in the quarry. 

The clays of the Mohawk flats are utilized in Deerfield, 
Rome, and Whitesboro for making bricks. Good sand for 
glass is found at Durhamville. Mineral paint is made in 
Kirkland from the Clinton iron ore. 

The search for coal and mineral oil years ago had no 
A. p. Brigham rcsult, nor is it probable that they can be found in the 

in Trans. O. ,r^ ^ ■, ^^ ^ \ -m ^ • i 

H.S., 1887-9, county. (See Geol. O. C, p. 117.) Peat in large quan- 
P- "'• titles exists in the swamp near Rome. There are large 



A. p. Brig- 
ham's Phys. 
Geog. in Sec 
ondary 
Schools, 
School Re- 
view, Oct., 
1897, p. 531. 



GEOLOGY. 149 

deposits of calcareous tufa in the southern part of the 
county. The cobblestones formerly used for paving were 
a part of the Glacial drift. 

Probably the time taken in the depositing of the rocks 
of Oneida county was several millions of years longer than 
all the time that has since elapsed. But very great surface 
changes have been made since the Devonian age. (See 
Shaler's "Aspects of the Earth.") 

The strikes in the Palaeozoic beds probably represent 
an old shore-line that was gradually receding southward. 
Before the end of Palaeozoic time, the streams which rose 
in the Adirondack region, growing longer as the shore re- 
ceded southward, crossed the whole of Oneida County, and .^ay ofu. s.. 
flowed into the interior sea then covering the coal-areas ofp-s^s- 
Pennsylvania. Even in Tertiary time, they still flowed to 
the south, reaching the sea by an ancient Susquehanna 
River. Meantime the region, which had been reduced in Cre- 
taceous time almost to base-level, had been elevated, with ibid, 
the entire warping Appalachian belt, to a plateau level. 
The St. Lawrence River had been formed earlier, and the 
Hudson valley was being excavated. As this valley grew, 
it was inevitable that a tributary valley should be cut west- 

' _ Ibid., p. 316. 

ward along the strike of the soft Utica-Hudson shales, di- 
verting toward the east the headwaters of some Adiron- 
dack streams. At Little Falls this process was stopped 
by the barrier of gneisses which had been faulted up in ^^*<^- 
very ancient times. A similar valley was cut from the St. 
Lawrence eastward, diverting toward the west the head- 
waters of other Adirondack streams. 

Then came the Glacial period, and the ice-cap covered 
the region. Shore lines of three glacial lakes are found in 
Western New York, of which the lowest. Lake Iroquois, 
is believed to have discharged through the Mohawk Valley. 



150 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

The deltas and delta terraces of lateral streams, from 
Rome to Little Falls, were probably made at this time. 
While Lake Ontario was being excavated, the glacier 
broke up. The St. Lawrence valley being still frozen, an 
enormous discharge of water came through the Mohawk 
valley from the Great Lakes, reduced the barrier at Little 
Falls, and so aggraded the region as to transfer the divide 
to Rome. 

Thus by changes of level, by constant erosion, by the 

ham's^opo- grinding of the ice-sheet, and above all by post-glacial 

graphyand actiou of Water, the physical features of the county have 

posits of Mo- been sculptured. The importance of the Mohawk as a 

hawk Valley, topographic feature is best appreciated if one stand upon 

Starr Hill in Steuben, 1,793 feet above the sea, or Tassel 

Hill in Paris, 1,948 feet in altitude; he then sees a valley 

from 12 to 20 miles wide and 1,500 feet deep, with great 

alluvial deposit. This makes clear how enormous is the 

Bulled n^vo"*" m^ss of land that has been carried down to the sea. The 

No. iQ, p. 180. higher hills about Utica are the remains of the ancient 

strata that have been cut into to form the valley. All the 

Vanuxem, p. Way from Little Falls to Rome, an old higher bank of the 

"^' river can be seen, at places 80 feet above the present bed. 

The debris of the retreating glacier so filled up the Hud- 

A. p. Brigham SOU basiu that the St. Lawrence was deflected to its pres- 

in Trans. O. . . , , , . , , . , . . . ^ 

H.S., 1887-9, ^^^ position, the outlet being changed from the vicinity 01 
p. 112. Rome to the Thousand Islands ; and so the Mohawk be- 

came a local drainage stream. 

Abundant evidence of glaciation exists in the vicinity of 
Utica. The great bowlders both north and south of the 
Mohawk, each consisting of such rock as outcrops farther 
north than its present station ; such kettle holes as Bear 
Pond ; the Whitestown-Oriskany sand-plain, of which 
the main mass is called "the Oriskany bluffs"; the 
Frankfort-Ilion drift-benches ; the belt of kames extending 



GEOLOGY. I 5 I 

a mile or more eastward from the Ilion station ; the finger 
lakes to the southwest, of which Oneida borders upon this 
county: all have a story to tell. 

When excavations were made for the Rutger Street via- 
duct, a true glacial till was thrown out, containing many 
scratched pebbles. A fine bowlder of red Laurentian a. p. Brigham 
granite may be seen in Utica on the northeast corner of h^'^^s^s^z 
South Street and Kossuth Avenue. Its top has been planed p- 72- 
off by the glacier. A drive over South Street in New Hart- 
ford to the reservoirs will reveal enough bowlders to afford 
considerable evidence of glaciation. 

A good example of a river terrace is afforded by the 
Mohawk in Western. The mouth of Deerfield ravine 
offers another example. Three distinct levels are here 
visible. 

The gorge at Trenton, over one hundred feet deep, and 
the ravines of Utica and its vicinity, display to advantage 
the post-glacial action of water. Wonderful examples of 
erosion are seen at Little Falls. 

The good qualities of the soil about Utica are due to 
three main causes : (i) the decomposition of the shale, so 
full of carbon, making the best dairy land of the State ; 
(2) the abundant glacial drift ; (3) the rich deposits of the 
Mohawk, which carries sediments from all the higher lands 
of the region. 



XVII. 
BOTANY. 

[Many facts taken by permission from Dr. J. V. Haberer's pub- 
lished List of Plants in the Vicinity of Utica.] 

A RICH flora was to be expected from the varieties of 
soil and location near Utica. The alluvial soil along 
the Mohawk, the occasional unreclaimed marshes and 
shrubby copses, the sphagnous swamps and forested hill- 
sides, afford homes to most varieties of phaenogamous 
plants suited to the climate. 

September i, 1897, the writer found 100 species of 
plants, wild or fully naturalized, in bloom in the fields and 
along the roadsides, just beyond the southern line of the 
city. The space covered was not much more than a mile. 

Within a radius of ten miles from Utica there are about 
970 species of flowering plants. Of these about 60 are 
Forest Trees and about 80 Shrubs and Undershrubs, in- 
digenous, or naturalized and growing wild. Of Equiseta 
we have 7, of native Ferns 40, and of Club-Mosses 6. 
The Mosses, Hepaticae, and Fungi of this locality have not 
been numbered and classified. 

A botanical garden of our native plants seems much to 
be desired in the interest of our school children. It might 
be an annex to one of our city parks. 

A list of the orders of which we have representatives con- 
cludes this paper. 

We give a few notes as to the season and habitat of 
the best known of our flowers, although in doing so we al- 
most wrong the many which we cannot name. These the 



BOTANY. 153 

student must find for himself with the aid of botany and 
teacher. 

In earliest spring, the Skunk Cabbage {Syniplocarpus 
foetidus') blooms in bogs and marshes. This very mal- oray-sManu*! 
odorous flower belongs to the Arum Family. The blossom ^^,^°*^*'^^' "'' 

'-' Ed. 

appears before the large coarse leaves arrive, and the cibson-s 
spathe is so gorgeously striped with gold and purple thatpp*^^ ^^^' 
artists and florists are beginning to appreciate its beauty. 

The Slippery Elm, {Uhnus fiilva), blooms almost as 
early, (March and April), and the White Elm, {U. Ameri- 
cana), and Red and Sugar Maples, {Acer riibruui and sac- 
charimtm), quickly follow. 

The "pussies" of the Willows are here also, and these 
downy catkins soon open to show the golden anthers of the 
staminate blossoms, and the gray green of the pistillate. 

Soon after the snow leaves the ground in spring, the 
Hepatica, (^Hepatica acutiloba), appears in the woods. 
One was found in woods near the city, March 18, 1898. 
This was exceptionally early. Records from 1872 to 1885 j. v. Haberer 
give as the earliest date on which it was first found, April g'' ^g*"* p^iT 
I, 1878, and as the latest. May 4, 1872. The lingering 
snows of 1899 made it possible to bring home rich bunches 
of this flower, resting on beds of snow near which it had 
blossomed. 

Closely following the Hepatica in early spring, are the 
Spring Beauty, {Claytonia Caroliniana), and the Blood- 
root, [Sanguinaria Canadensis). 

Quite as early, in waste places, appears the Shepherd's 
Purse, Capsella Bursa-Pastoris), whose small white 
flowers do not desert us until the autumn. As the season 
advances, the flower and fruit are seen on the same stem, 
and the triangular seed-pods are gathered by the children. 

Several Mustards and Cresses appear with the Shep- 
herd's Purse, all belonging to the order Cruciferae. 



154 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

One beautiful spring flower must not be omitted, the 
Trailing Arbutus, — the May-Flower of New England, — 
{Epigaea repens.) It grows in Oneida County, north and 
west of the city, but in spite of careful efforts to cultivate 
it, in Deerfield and Clinton, it refuses to make a home 
very near us. 

May brings the fruit blossoms, and in the woods and 
fields, the Trilliums and Violets of many varieties. 

The Marsh Marigold, {Caltha palustris), is a golden 
flower of May, belonging to the Crowfoot Family, to 
which the Hepatica and many other spring flowers be- 
long. 

Toward the end of the month, the flowers of the buck- 
bean, {Menyanthes trifoliata), of the Gentian Family, are 
found in bogs. They form large white spikes, beautifully 
fringed and delightfully fragrant, with a large clover-like 
leaf on a long stem, and with a thick rootstock, which 
Bayard Taylor tells us is ground into flour and made into 
bread in Norway. It is a highly representative flower of 
bog and stream. 

In early June, the banks of the Sauquoit Creek and 
other moist places, will be found carpeted with Forget-me- 
not, {li'Iyosotis palustris), of the Borage Family. 

At the same time, the Pitcher Plant, {Sarracenia pur- 
purea), is found in sphagnous bogs, with its pitchers filled 
with water and drowned insects. In the same place, — 
some bog upon the Frankfort hills, — and at the same time, 
looK for Blueberries and Cranberries, (Vaccinitim), Lab- 
rador Tea, {^Lediiin latifoliiini), Sheep Laurel, [Kalrnia 
angiistifolia), and the beautiful Azalea, {Rhododendron 
nudifloriini), all members of the Heath Family. In bogs 
also, grows our small wild Calla or Water Arum, {Calla 
palustris), a beautiful little plant, whose pointed spathe is 
green without and pure white within. 



BOTANY. I 5 5 

In June, too, we begin to see the Orchids, of which we 
have about 30 species, which open in succession through 
the summer, some even as late as September and Octo- 
ber. Some of these are far from abundant, and we should 
gather them carefully, leaving the root unharmed, that 
new flowers may appear in succeeding summers. 

In July and August, the Wintergreen or Checkerberry, 
{Gaultheria procumbens'), shows its white bells side by side 
with the bright red berries of the preceding year. 

The flowers of the woods almost disappear as summer 
progresses and are succeeded by rushes, sedges and grasses, 
all having blossoms; the roadside indulges in a great 
variety of weeds, mostly composite or umbelliferous ; the 
ponds have white Water-Lilies, and various aquatic plants; 
and the Asters begin to star the edges of the woodland 
and the banks of streams. 

Summer, besides being the time to study the Ferns, is the 
time also to notice the fruit of the spring wild-flowers. 
The winged fruit of the Striped Maple, {Acer Pennsylva- 
nicum), growing in drooping clusters, becomes at last a 
deep red as beautiful as a flower. 

The low straggling branches of the American Yew, 
[Taxus Canadensis), looking like Hemlock, and so easily 
neglected, bear now and then underneath, the bright red, 
berry-like fruit, with a single large black seed. 

The splendid Cardinal Flower, {Lobelia Cardinalis , 
blooms in July and August, and Golden-Rod (Soiida^o), a 
little later. Of Golden-Rod, there are 50 American va- 
rieties, and even more of its companion, the Aster. 

In September the Witch-Hazel, {Hantamelis Virginica), 
comes out with short gold fringe along its gray boughs. 
Its leaves wither and fall, but the gold petals glint in the 
paler gold of November's sun and it does not fruit till 
spring and the new year of flowers comes again. 



156 



OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 



Reference has already been made to the catalogues of 
Dr. Knieskern and Mr. Paine, and the herbaria of Dr. 
Sartwell and Mr. Hunt. (See XI.) 



PLANTS USED BY MAN. 

Ginseng, {Aralia quinquefolia), was an article of trade 
from the earliest history of the region. The Indians gath- 

i^'iYan^'o^" ered it for sale to English traders, and they, in turn, sold 

H. s., 1881. p. it to the Chinese, who made many preparations from the 
root. The settlers of Clinton paid in Ginseng for the 

Johnson's timely help of Isaac Paris. (See VII.). It has much de- 

^^' creased in quantity, but being worth from three to four 

dollars a pound, is still gathered with profit. About 150 

J. H. sheehan. pounds are annually sent from Utica to New York, for 
shipment to China. 

Basket-making from varieties of Willow, and from Ash 
splints, was once largely carried on in the homes of 
French, German, and Italian families, and plantations of 
Willow were to be found along the Mohawk, but though 
such baskets and hampers are still sold, the regular man- 
ufacture of them has ceased. 

The osiers were formerly gathered, fagoted, and sent to 
New York for manufacture, but this is no longer done. 

The Bleecker Plum was introduced here from Albany 
by Judge Morris S. Miller, (resident of Utica 1806-24). 
He gave this choice fruit freely to the gardens of his neigh- 
bors, and the descendants of these trees are still found in 
the city. He was equally liberal in giving young trees 
from his fine apple orchard, which lay between the pres- 
ent West, Rutger, Steuben and South Streets. 

About the middle of the century, Rev. Chauncey E. 
Goodrich conducted at Utica a series of interesting and 



G. A. Clark. 



Pioneers, p. 



BOTANY. 157 

valuable experiments on the Potato. The recent occur- 
rence of the Irish famine, the immediate cause of which 
was the potato disease, gave special interest to his labors. 
Procuring potatoes from Chili, the home of the plant, he po^jgj.,g 
carried on his work for sixteen years, during which time he Pres'm. in 

. . . , , . Cent. N. Y., 

made more than 130 communications to agricultural jour- pp. 553-9. 
nals and scientific magazines. He perfected several vari- 
eties, by one of which, as was estimated, he saved to the 
farmers of the country $2,000,000. His generous spirit 

. Johnson'sCyc. 

made him indifferent to the wealth he might have gained, (Potato.) 
and a careful examination of his accounts showed that his 
own pecuniary profit amounted to $50. 

The twigs of Hamamelis distilled with water yield the 
well known Pond's extract, also known as extract of Witch 
Hazel. The industry is extensively carried on at Trenton 
and other places in Oneida County. The extract was sold 
first in Utica.by Theron T. Pond, about 1844 or 1845. 

At present wines are made for domestic use of dandelion 
blossoms, ( Taraxacum officinale) ; Sweet Elder blossoms 
or fruit, [Sanibtictis Canadensis) ; the wild Black Cherry, 
(Prumis serotina), and the wild Grape, ( Vitis cordifolicL), 
growing abundantly along the river bank. The Dandelion, 
Milkweed, {Asclepias cornuti), and in early spring, the 
Marsh Marigold, {Calt/ia palustris), the common weed 
Purslane {Portiilaca oleracea), and many other plants, are 
used as pot-herbs. 

There are few wild fruits in common use. The Blue- 
berry, {VaLciniuni Pennsylvanicuni and Canadense), grows 
sparsely, also the common Black Huckleberry, {Gaylussacia 
resinosa). 

The Red and Black Raspberries, {Rubiis strigosus and 
occidentalis) ; the High Blackberry, {Riibiis villosus), and 
wild Strawberry, {Fragaria Virginiana), are abundant. 

On account of its nearness to the southwestern borders 



158 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

of the Adirondacks, this region has rather Canadian than 

Alleghanian flora. The trees are principally beech, maple, 

hemlock, and spruce ; the chestnut and the tulip tree, which 

w. L. Ralph s-^s common on the same parallel not far to the west, 

and E. Bagg, being absent. Peaches, which can be grown on the Finger 

in Trans. O. ^ . . '^ ° 

H. s., 1887-9, p. Lakes, will not usually ripen here. There are many or- 

'°''' chards of fine apples in the vicinity of the city. Hops are 

much cultivated, and of late the beet sugar industry has 

become important. Indian corn grows well. Other 

grains grow fairly well ; but, where the underlying rock is 

A. p. Bnghamgig^^y the tenacious, clayey soil is much better suited to 

in Trans. O. -^ 1 J J 

H. s., 1887-g, grass, and forms the finest pasture land of the State, so 
^' "*■ that the characteristics of the county are grazing and 

dairying rather than the raising of fruits or cereals. 

It is an interesting fact that the Osage Orange, {Ma- 
dura aura?tttaca), native in the southern and southwest- 
ern part of the United States, and used in the north for 
hedges, has, on a farm in Deerfield, grown to the height 
of a tree and has borne fruit. 

PLANTS OF LOCAL INTEREST. 

The people of Utica are tree-lovers, and the variety as 
well as number of trees in the city is very great. Many 
of the Elms are of remarkable size and beauty, and this is 
true as well of those in the surrounding country, noticeably 
those atChadwicks. The Lombardy Poplar, (P^/^^/z^^ nigra, 
var. Italica), was at one time extensively planted, but has 
almost disappeared. Not graceful, but striking in appear- 
ance, a few specimens are still standing, as those in front 
of Mr. Egbert Bagg's house, planted in 1806, and the row 
on College Hill, Clinton. The city is even too well shaded 
for sanitation, and might add to its officers a Forester 
whose business it should be to let in sunlight by judicious 
tree-trimming. At the same time, when New York and 




Saturday Globe. 



WILSON ELM. 



BOTANY. 159 

other large cities have recognized the fact that our trees 
are agents of health, and when their citizens are busy plant- 
ing trees in their most arid streets, we should congratu- 
late ourselves that, with us, wise planting is no longer so 
much needed as wise pruning. The fathers of Utica were 
all tree-planters. The English Elm, the Black Walnut, 
and other species were introduced and fostered by them. 

The mathematician, Mr. George R. Perkins, gave much 
time and thought to tree-planting. On the street which 
he laid out, Sunset Avenue, formerly called from him, 
Perkins Avenue, he personally persuaded the city to pre- 
serve the great Elm near Faxton Hospital. On the grounds 
of his home, where his widow still resides, are several fine 
Elms. One of these is 22 feet in circumference above the 
parting of the roots, 20 feet in circumference six feet above 
the ground, and probably nearly 100 feet high. 

The Wilson Elm, believed by many to be a tree of the 
original forest, though not more beautiful than many 
others, is of large size and unusual form. It is " 90 feet in 
heio-ht • about 18 feet in circumference one foot from the 
ground, and 14 feet in circumference at the height ot siXj^jg^g ^g^ 
feet." The bole rises 50 feet unbranched, and the u^^Heraid, 
branches spread in a picturesquely gnarled manner. This 
Elm stands a little south of the new Savings Bank. One 
of our citizens bought the ground on which it stands that 
the tree might thus be sure of preservation. 

Another local plant celebrity, now, we fear, no longer 
living, is the Mountain Ash tree on the tower of the 
Church of the Reconciliation, near the corner of Seneca 
and Columbia streets. How planted, how nourished, one 
hardly knows, but it has become a goodly tree, and for 
many years bore flowers and fruit in its eyrie far above the 
barren street. 



l60 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

ORDERS OF PLANTS FOUND IN OR NEAR UTICA. 

Of the 136 orders of plants of the Northern United 
States given by Gray, (excluding Cellular Acrogens), Utica 
has representatives of 95, as follows : 

Family. 

1. Ranunculaceae, Crowfoot 

2. Magnoliaceae, Magnolia 

3. Berberidaceae, Barberry 

4. Nymphaceae, Water-Lily 

5. Sarraceniaceae, Pitcher-Plants 

6. Papaveraceae, Poppy 

7. Fumariaceae, Fumitory 

8. Cruciferae, Mustard 

9. Resedaceae, Mignonette 

10. Violaceae, Violet 

1 1 . Caryophyllaceae, Pink 

[2. Portulacaceae, Purslane 

1 3. Hypericaceae, St. John's-wort 

14. Malvaceae, Mallow 

I 5. Tilliaceae, Linden 

16. Geraniaceae, Geranium 

1 7. Rutaceae Rue 

1 8. Ilicineae, Holly 

19. Celastraceae, Staff Tree 

20. Rhamnaceae, Buckthorn 

2 1 . Vitaceae Grape 

22. Sapindaceae Soapberry 

23 . Anacardiaceae, Cashew 

24. Polygalaceae, Milkwort 

25. Leguminosae, Pulse 

26. Rosaceae, Rose 

27. Saxifragaceae, Saxifrage 

28. Crassulaceae, Orpine 



BOTANY, l6l 

Family. 

29. Droseraceae, Sundew 

30. Hamamelideae, Witch-Hazel 

3 1 . Lythraceae, Loosestrife 

32. Onograceae, Evening-Primrose 

33. Cucurbitaceae, Gourd 

34. Umbelliferae, Parsley 

35. Araliaceae Ginseng 

36. Cornaceae, Dogwood 

37. Caprifoliaceae Honeysuckle 

38. Rubiaceae, Madder 

39. Valerianaceae, , Valerian 

40. Dipsaceae Teasel 

41. Compositae, Composite 

42. Lobeliaceae, Lobelia 

43. Campanulaceae, Campanula 

44. Ericaceae Heath 

45 . Primulaceae Primrose 

46. Oleaceae, Olive 

47. Apocynaceae, . . Dogbane 

48. Asclepiadaceae, Milkweed 

49. Gentianaceae, Gentian 

50. Polemoniaceae, Polemonium 

5 1 . Hydrophyllaceae, Waterleaf 

52. Borraginaceae, Borage 

53. Convolvulaceae, Convovulus 

54. Scrophulariaceae, Figwort 

55. Lentibulariaceae, Bladderwort 

56. Verbenaceae, Vervain 

57. Labiatae, Mint 

58. Plantaginaceae, Plantain 

59. Illecebraceae, Knotwort 

60. Amarantaceae, Amaranth 

61. Chenopodiaceae, Goosefoot 

II 



l62 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

Family. 

62. Phytolaccaceae, Pokeweed 

63. Polygonaceae, Buckwheat 

64. Aristolochiaceae, Birthwort 

65. Piperaceae, Pepper 

66. Lauraceae, Laurel 

67. Thymelaeaceae, Mezereum 

68. Elaeagnaceae Oleaster 

69. Loranthaceae, Mistletoe 

70. Euphorbiaceae, Spurge 

71. Urticaceae, Nettle 

72. Platanaceae, Plane-Tree 

73. Juglandaceae, Walnut 

74. Myricaceae, Sweet-Gale 

75. Cupuliferae, Oak 

76. Salicaceae, Willow 

']'] . Coniferae, Pine 

78. Orchidaceae, Orchis 

79. Iridaceae, Iris 

80. Liliaceae, Lily 

81 . Pondeteriaceae, Pickerel- Weed 

82. Commelinaceae Spiderwort 

83. Juncaceae, Rush 

84. Typhaceae, Cat-Tail 

85. Araceae, Arum 

86. Lemnaceae, Duckweed 

87. Alismaceae Water-Plantain 

88. Naiadaceae Pondweed 

89. Cyperaceae, Sedge 

90. Gramineae, Grass 

9 1 . Equisetaceae, Horsetail 

92. Filices Ferns 

93. Ophioglossaceae, Adder's-Tongue 

94. Lycopodiaceae, Club-Moss 

95. Selaginellaceae, A Family allied to the Club Mosses 



XVIII. 
BIRDS. 

[Data kindly furnished by Mr, Egbert Bagg.] 

THE geographical location of the city, on the confines of 
the Adirondack wilderness, and the climatic conditions 
which result from this location, naturally lead us to look 
for a bird fauna largely Canadian, and such we find ours to 
be, many of our summer residents being of species which 
breed far north of the St. Lawrence. 

The area of the city proper is so small, and so generally 
occupied for business and residence purposes, that the 
" Birds of Utica " must include the birds of the immediate 
vicinity. There are about 175 species which occur within 
such limits. These may be divided into: "Residents" 
(those which remain with us the year around, not always 
the same individuals, but the same species), 9 ; " Summer 
Residents " (those which spend the summer with us, but 
not the winter, and breed with us), 76; " Winter Visit- 
ors," (which come down from the colder north, where 
they live and breed during the summer), 8; "Migrants" 
(those which pass through, going north to breed in the 
spring, and passing south to warmer climates in the fall), 
64 ; and " Stragglers " (those which have occasionally been 
seen, but are far out of their usual habitat), 18. 

Of these 175, there are at least 98 species which every 
boy and girl should know, including a few which, although 
comparatively rare, are of sufficient interest to be named 
in our list. They are divided into: " Residents," 9 ; 
"Winter Visitors," 3; "Summer Residents," 65; and 
" Migrants," 21 . 



164 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

Omitting the " Stragglers," the Orders and Families are 
represented by familiar birds according to the following 
list. The common names used are those generally ac- 
cepted in this locality. The scientific names are taken 
from the Check-list of the American Ornithologists' Union, 
2d Edition. 

LIST. 

Abbreviations : R., Resident. S. R., Summer Resident. W. V., 
Winter Visitor. M., Migrant. C. indicates that the bird is often found 
in the settled parts of the city. Many others are occasionally seen in 
streets and gardens. 

The figures following indicate the average length of the bird in 
inches, taken as follows : A dead specimen is laid upon its back with 
its neck extended, but not stretched, and the distance measured from 
the tip of its bill to the end of its tail. 

ORDER I. PYGOPODES, (Divers). 

Family Podicipidae, (Grebes). 

I. Pied-billed Grebe or Dab-chick, {Podilymbiis podi- 
ceps). S. R. , 13^. 

Eminently aquatic, rarely venturing upon land ; de- 
pends for safety on its skill as a diver. 

ORDER II. LONGIPENNES, (Long-winged Swim- 
mers). 

Family Laridae, (Gulls). 

I. American Herring Gull, [Larus argentatiis smith- 
sonianus). M., 24. 

Large white Gull, with light blue mantle and black wing- 
tips. 

ORDER V. ANSERES. (Swimmers). 
Family Anatidae, (Ducks, Geese and Swans). 
Sub-family Anatinae, (Dabblers, River and Pond Ducks), 
I. Mallard, {Anas boscJias). M., 23. 



BIRDS. ^^5 



Drake has green head. Duck is brown. Feet red. 
Ancestor of domestic duck. 

2. Dusky Duck, {Anas obscura). M., 22. Like duck 

of No. I, but darker. • n M r.ii 

. Green-winged Teal. ^Anas carolinensts). M. I4<2- 
Small. Drake has chestnut head with green stripe on 
each side. Duck is brownish. , ,, . e^^U 

4 Blue-winged Teal, (^««.^^^^^^'-^)- M., 16. Small. 
Distinguished by large light blue wing-patch. 

c Wood Duck, ^Aix sponsa). M., 185. 

Drake has wonderful combination of gorgeous colors ; 
head dark green, purple and white, with long crest breast 
n^aroon with white spots. Duck, grayish with white 
throat. Nests in hollow trees. 

Sub-family Fuligulinae. (Bay and Sea Ducks). 

I Greater Scaup Duck, {Aythya martla n.arUca) 
M.,'20. Large. Black head and breast ; broad, blue bill ; 

••canvas" back. M t7 

2. Lesser Scaup Duck, (Aphya affinis). M., 17. 

Similar, but smaller. ii.^.<Rlark 

The Scaup Ducks are more commonly called Black 

Heads," or "Blue Bills." 

3. Golden Eye or Whistler, {Glaucionetta clangula 

americana). M., 20. u^^ri 

Drake, black and white. Duck has snuiT-colored head. 

4. Buffle Head or Butter Ball, {^Charitonetta albeola). 

^Drate very small ; black and white. Duck dusky. 

Sub-family Anserinae, (Geese). 

I ^}^\\^Goos^ABranta canadenns). M., 40. 

Black neck and brown body. Migrates in V-shaped 
flocks, "honking" as it flies. 



l66 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

ORDER VII. HERODIONES. (Herons, Storks, etc.). 
Family Ardeidae, (Herons and Bitterns). 

1. Bittern, {Botaurus lentiginosiis^. S. R., 28. 
Solitary, in grassy marshes. Streaked yellowish brown. 

2. Great Blue Y\.Q.xovi,{Ardea herodias). S. R., 48. 
Incorrectly called "crane." Breeds in colonies, but 

feeds alone ; wades cautiously in rivers, etc. ; flies flap- 
ping over the water with legs trailing behind. 

3. Green Heron, {Ardea virescens). S. R., 17. 
Much smaller. Dark greenish. Solitary, (never in 

flocks). Along wooded shores. 

ORDER VIII. PALUDICOLAE, (Cranes, Rails, etc.,). 
Family Rallidae, (Rails, etc.,). 
I. Sora Rail, {Porzana Carolina). S. R., 8-^. 
Fresh water marshes. Keeps well hidden ; makes very 
short flights to cover. 

ORDER IX. LIMICOLAE, (Shorebirds, etc.). 
Family Scolopacidae, (Snipes, Sandpipers, etc.). 

1. American Woodcock, {PhiloJicla minor). S. R., 11. 
Wooded lands or cornfields with soft, moist earth in 

which it may probe for worms. Nocturnal. 

2. Wilson's Snipe, {Gallinago delicata.). M., \\\. 
Long neck and long bill. Tan-color. Water-soaked, 

fresh water meadows, where hillocks or grasses make con- 
cealment possible. 

3. Q,vQ.2X&xY€^oyN\Q.^s,{Toiamismelanoleucus). M., 14. 
Gray, black and white streaked. Very long yellow legs. 

4. Summer Yellowlegs, {Totanus flavipes). M., lof. 
Similar but much smaller. Commoner and less wary. 

5. Spotted Sandpiper or Tip-up, {Actitis macularia). 

S. R., 7l- 

Gray. Running and flying along streams and tipping 
up and down. 



BIRDS. 167 

Family Charadriidae, fPlovers). 
I, Killdeer Plover, {Aegialitis vocifera). S. R., 'j\. 
Named from its cry. Black ring around neck, orange 
rump. 

ORDER X. GALLINAE, (Gallinaceous Birds). 

Family Tetraonidae, (Grouse). 

I. Ruffed Grouse, {Bonasa umbellus). R. , i/- 

Incorrectly called ' ' partridge. " Reddish brown and gray ; 
black ruffs on each side of neck. Fan-like tail gray, with 
broad, black band. Drumming caused by rapid beating 
of wings. Only male bird drums. 

ORDER XI. COLUMBAE, (Pigeons and Doves). 
Family Columbidae, (Pigeons and Doves). 

1. Passenger Pigeon, {Ectopistes migratoriiis). M., 
i6i. 

Now almost extinct, but once very common. Borders 
of woodland, often on ground. 

2. Mourning Dove, {Zeyiaidiira macroura). Locally 
very rare, but S. R. a short distance west. ii|. 

ORDER XII. RAPTORES, (Birds of Prey). 

Family Falconidae, (Falcons). 

All our diurnal birds of prey belong to this family, 

1. Marsh Hawk, {Circus hudsonitis). S. R. , 20. 
Male, light bluish gray ; female, rusty brown streaked. 

Beneficial to man. Flies low over ground in places not 
wooded. 

2. Sharp-shinned Hawk, {Accipiter velox). S. R. , 11, 

Similar to No. i. but smaller. 

3. Cooper's Hawk, {Accipiter cooperii). S. R., 15, I9- 
Bluish gray above, barred with rufous below. Swift of 

flight. Dangerous to birds and small poultry. 



l68 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

2. and 3. are lon^ tailed species. Male much smaller 
than female. 

4. Red-tailed Hawk, {Buteo bor-ealis). S. R. , 2\\. 
Blackish brown ; upper side of tail bright rufous. Bird 

of the woods. Harmless to man. 

5. Red-shouldered Hawk, {^Buteo lineatus). S.R., 19. 
Reddish brown and cinnamon ; tail black, crossed by 6 

white bands. Habitat same as that of No. 4. 

4. and 5. are far the commonest of our Hawks. They 
are large, and are known as "Hen Hawks." Yet it is 2 . 
and 3. that do the harm. 

6. Broad-winged Hawk, (^z^/^c /rt//.y.y/;««.y). S. R.,i6. 
Dusky brownish ; tail crossed by broad bands of blackish 

and white. 

7. Sparrow Hawk, {Falco sparveriiis). S. R. , 10. 
Small. Short-tailed. Frequents dead trees in open 

fields. 

Family Bubonidae, (Horned Owls, Hoot Owls, etc.). 

1. Long-eared Owl, (^Asio zvilsojiianus). R., 15. 
Dusky to tawny. Conspicuous " horns " or "ears" of 

feathers. Nocturnal ; by day in thick woods. Destroys 
rodents. 

2. Short-eared Owl, (^Asio accipitrinus). M., 15^. 
Bright tawny to buffy. Ear-tufts inconspicuous. Not 

so nocturnal as No. i. Grassy marshes. Flies low. 
Deserves protection as destroyer of rodents and insects. 

3. Barred Owl, (^Syryiiiim iiebulosiini). R., 20. 
Large. No ear-tufts. Brown and white barred. 

4. Screech Owl, {Megascops asio). R. , 9.^. 

Small. Ear-tufts conspicuous. Two totally distinct 
plumages, having no relation to age, sex or season ; one 
grayish, the other reddish. Perhaps our most common 
owl. 

5. Great Horned Owl, {Bubo virgitiianus). R., 23. 



BIRDS. 169 

Ear-tufts conspicuous. Varied, buffy and tawny. The 
only owl that destroys poultry and birds in any num- 
ber. Largest and fiercest of our Raptores. Heavy 
forests. 

ORDER XIV. COCCYGES, (Cuckoos and Kingfish- 
ers). 

Family Cuculidae, (Cuckoos). 

I. Black-billed Cuckoo, {Coccyzus erytJirophthalmus). 
S. R., 12. 

Long, slender, dove-like. Mostly in low trees. Eats 
tent caterpillars. 

Our cuckoos differ from their European cousins in that 
they do not usually lay eggs in other birds' nests, (though 
they 'have been known to do so). 

Family Alcedinidae, (Kingfishers). 

I. Belted Kingfisher, {Ceryle alcyon). S. R. , 13. 

Blue above, white below. Broad band across breast ; 
large head and bill. Shores of streams or ponds. 

ORDER XV. PICI, (Woodpeckers). 
Family Picidae, (Woodpeckers). 

1. Downy Woodpecker, {Dryobates ptibescens.) R., 
c, 6|. 

Small. Black and white spotted. Sociable. On tree 
trunks. 

2. Red-headed Woodpecker, {Melanerpes erytJiro- 
cepJialus). S. R., 9|. 

Black and white, with bright red head. 

3. Flicker or Highhole, [Colaptes aiiratus'). S. R., 12. 
Scarlet band on back of neck ; shafts and undersides of 

wing feathers yellow. Somewhat terrestrial. 

Drumming of woodpeckers made with bills on resonant 
dead limbs. 



170 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

ORDER XVI. MACROCHIRES, (Goatsuckers, Swifts 
and Hummingbirds). 

Family Caprimulgidae, (Goatsuckers). So called from 
an ancient notion that these birds obtained goat's milk for 
food. 

I. Nighthawk, [Chordeiles virginiamis). S. R., c, lO. 

Black and white ; white patch on wing. Often seen 
sky-coasting over the city on cloudy days or in the even- 
ing. Sometimes nests on the gravel roofs of houses in the 
city. Loud, nasal call. 

Family Micropodidae, (Swifts). 

I. Chimney Swift, {Chaetura pelagica). S. R., c, 5^. 

Not a "Swallow." Bow-and-arrow-like form against 
the sky, whenever the sun is not too strong. Builds mostly 
in chimneys, where it attaches its nest to the brickwork 
by a glue which it produces in its own salivary glands. 

Family Trochilidae, (Hummingbirds). Found in the 
New World only. 

I. Ruby-throated Hummingbird, {Trochiltis colubris). 
S. R., c, 3|. 

Changeable green above with ruby-red, metallic throat. 
The only one of the 400 species of Hummingbirds which 
is found in the U. S. east of the Mississippi. Tiny, beau- 
tiful, and fearless. Near honeysuckle or trumpet-vine, or 
in flower gardens, but not in evening. Should not be con- 
founded with spinx moth. Feeds largely on insects, but to 
some extent also on honey and juices of flowers. Perches 
in trees, high above the ground. 

ORDER XVn. PASSERES, (Perching Birds). 
Family Tyrannidae, (Flycatchers). 
I. King Bird or Bee Bird, {Tyranniis tyrannus). S. 
R., 8^ 



BIRDS. 171 

Gray, with white breast and broad white band across 
fan-Hke tail. 

2. Great Crested Flycatcher, {Myiarchus crinitus). 

S. R., 9- 

Crested. Slate breast ; sulphur yellow below. A wood 
bird, but often nests in orchards. Has the singular habit 
of placing the cast off skin of a snake in its nest. 

3. Phoebe, {Sayornis phoebe). S. R., c. , 7. 
Grayish brown with olive cast. Friendly to man ; 

perches often near houses, on gates, etc. ; builds nest in 
porches, on rafters in barns, etc. ; also on rocks under 
bridges. Eats many insects injurious to vegetation. 

4. Wood Pewee, {Contopus vire^is). S. R., 6|. 
Similar, but darker and smaller. Lives in forest and 

shade trees. Sweet notes all day, even in mid-summer. 

5. Least Flycatcher, {Empidonax minimus). S. R., 

Similar in color, but even smaller. Distmguished by 
strong, short note. Frequents orchards and gardens. 
Family Alaudidae, (Larks). 
I. Prairie Horned Lark, {Otocoris alpestris praticola). 

S. R., 7^ 

Walks instead of hopping. Black markings about head, 
and black crescent under throat. Two little feather horns. 
The first of our summer residents to arrive in the spring, 
often building its nest before the snow has left us. In 
flocks, or running singly, on ground in open places. 

Family Corvidae, (Crows and Jays). 

1. Blue Jay, {Cyanocitta cristata). R., ii|. 
Crested. Bright gray blue ; forehead, back of neck, and 

breast, black. Is, without doubt, a bird's nester of the 
worst kind, being very fond of eggs and young birds. So- 
ciable and very intelligent. 

2. Crow, [Ccrvus americanus), R.,c. , 11^. 



1/2 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

Black. Domestic, droll and very cunning. Does farmers 
more good than harm. 

Family Icteridae, (Blackbirds, Orioles, etc.). 

1. Bobolink, {Doliconix oryzivorus). S. R., 'j\. 

Male in spring, black, white and buff ; male later, fe- 
male and young, olive buff, streaked with dark brown. 
Fields and meadows in May and June. On quivering wing, 
sings to his mate on her nest in the grass ; perches in tops 
of orchard trees. 

2. Cowbird, {Molothrus ater). S. R., 8. 

Male, shiny black with brown head ; :• female, dark 
brownish streaked. American representative of European 
Cuckoo in the curious habit of laying its eggs in the nests 
of other birds and leaving foster parents to rear its young. 

3. Red-winged Blackbird, {Agclaius phoejiiccus). S. 

Male, black with red, buff-bordered epaulettes ; female, 
blackish and buffy streaked. 

4. Meadowlark, {Stiirnella magna). S. R., io|. 
Breast bright yellow, with large black crescent ; outer 

tail feathers white, showing when he flies. Frequents 
pastures and meadows. Clear whistle. 

5. Baltimore Oriole, {Icterus galbnla). S. R. , c. , 7^. 
Male, orange and black, the colors of Lord Baltimore ; 

female, yellowish and brownish. Builds pendulous nest, 
usually at extreme end of drooping branch of elm. 

6. Bronzed Crackle or Crow Blackbird, {Quiscahis 
qiiiscula aeneus). S. R., c. , 13. 

Blackish ; head of male purple and green, metallic and 
changeable. Arrives in small flocks ; sometimes nests in 
colonies. 

Family Fringillidae, (Sparrows, Finches, Grosbeaks, 
etc.). A great family. 

I. Pine Grosbeak, {Pinicola enucleator). W. V., 9. 



BIRDS. ^73 

Lar^e. Male, rosy red ; female, slaty gray. Sum- 
mer home in coniferous forests of the north ; visits us oc- 
casionally in mid-winter, when he is particularly attracted 

by Mountain Ash berries. 

2. Vm^\QYmQ\i,{Carpodacus purpureus). S. R.,c.,6i. 
Male, rose red on head, rump and breast ; color fading 

away to brown : female, brownish. Often in evergreens 
of the city. Eats fruit buds. 

3. House Sparrow or English Sparrow, {Passer domcs- 

Hcus). R. c, 61. 

Male, breast black, shoulders chestnut ; female, grayish 
brown.' Imported from Europe. Lives with us in flocks 
all winter, but has doubtless driven away our own birds. 

4. Gold^nch, ox YeWovfhixdi, {Spurns tristis). S. R., 

Yellow, with black cap, wings and tail. A rismg and 

falling flight. 

5 . Snowflake or White Snowbird, {Plectrophenax niva- 
lis). W. v., 6|. 

Rusty brown, black and white, white predommatmg. 
Visits us in flocks, usually during prolonged snowstorms. 
A bird of the ground. 

6. \q%^q.x 'Siy^2XXO^, {Poocactes gramincus). S. R., 6. 
Brown streaked ; two white feathers in tail. Pastures 

and along roads. 

7. Tree Sparrow, {Spizella monticola). M., c, 6^. 
Red cap ; two white chevrons on each wing ; breast 

grayish. 

8. Chipping Sparrow, {Spizella socialis). S. R., c, 

Si- 
Known by his little red skull-cap. Loves human soci- 
ety ; prefers to nest near dwellings of men. 

9. Field Sparrow, {Spizella pusilld). S. R., 5j- ■ 



174 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

Bright rufous plain breast and pink bill. Fields and 
pastures. Pleasing song. 

10. Slate-colored Junco or Black Snowbird, [Junco 
hyemalis). M., c, 6^. 

Back, throat and breast, slate color ; white below. 
Seen in flocks migrating. 

11. Song Sparrow, [Melospisa fasciatd). S. R., c, 

61- 

Brown with spotted breast, the spots uniting in centre to 
form a breast-pin. Often the first spring arrival. Sweet 
and varied song. Fearless and friendly. 

12. Rose-breasted Grosbeak, {Habia ludoviciand). 
S. R., 8. 

Male, black and white with rose breast ; has a beau- 
tiful carol : female, grayish brown. Loves second 
growths. 

13. Indigo-bird, {Passerina cyanca). S. R., 5^. 
Male, bright dark blue ; female, grayish brown and 

rufous. Clumps of bushes in clearings or old pastures. 

Family Tanagridae, (Tanagers). 

I. '^Q,2s\QX.Tzxi2LgQ.x, {Piranga e}'ythronielas). S. R., 7^. 

Most brilliant of all our birds. Male, scarlet with black 
wings and tail ; female, olive green. Dense woods. 

Family Hirundinidae, (Swallows). 

1. Purple Martin, {Progne subis). S. R. , 8. 
Formerly common, now rare. Shining blue-black ; 

wings and tail duller. Builds in boxes and holes in houses. 

2. Clifif Swallow, {Petrochelidon lunifrons). S. R. , 6. 
Whitish crescent on forehead ; rufous rump and short, 

square tail. Builds mud nest under eaves of barns. Eats 
enormous quantities of insects. 

3. Barn Swallow, {Chelidon eryt]i7'ogastra). S. R. , 7. 
Builds inside barns. Insect eater of first rank. 

4. Tree Swallow, {Tachyci7ieta bicolor). S. R. , c, 6, 



BIRDS. ^75 

Steel blue above, white below. Builds in holes in trees 
or sometimes in houses. 

5. Bank Swallow, [^CUvicola riparid). S. R., 5^ 

Brownish gray above, white beneath. Builds in holes 
which it excavates in sand banks. In colonies, generally 
near water. 

Family Ampelidae, (Waxwings). 

I. Cedar Bird or Cherry Bird, {Ampelis cedrorum). 

S. R., c, Hi- 
Crested ; fawn colored ; red seaHng-wax-like append- 
ages to wing feathers. Builds in the Cedar and dines in 
the Cherry tree. Seen often during winter feeding on 
Mountain Ash berries in yards of the city. 
Family Laniidae, (Shrikes). 

1. Great Northern Shrike or Butcher Bird, {Lanius 
b ore all s). W. V., lo^. 

Gray, wings and tail black with some white. Feeds on 
mice and small birds which he impales on a thorn or fence 
barb, or hangs in a crotch. On very top of our shade trees 
in mid-winter, watching for English Sparrows. 

2. White-rumped Migrant Shrike. {Lanius ludovi- 
cianus exciibttorides). S. R., 9. 

Smaller ; blue gray ; wings and tail black, with some 
white feathers. In habits similar to No. i. 
Family Vireonidae, (Vireos). 

1. Red-eyed Vireo, {Virco olivaceus). S. R., 6^. 
Light olive green ; white stripe over red eye. Pensile 

nest in outer fork of horizontal limb ; not high. 

2. Warbling Vireo, {Vireo gilviis). S. R., c, 5|. 
Small. Ashy olive green ; below, yellowish white. 

Upper branches of shade trees. More often heard than 



seen. 



Family Mniotiltidae, (Wood Warblers) . 

Represented by a number of the most beautiful of our 



176 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

birds, mosl'y of small size and retiring nature, so that they 
are overlooked by many, though perhaps the most attrac- 
tive birds we have. 

1. Yellow Warbler, {Dcndroica acstivd). S. R. ,c. , 5. 
Bright yellow, streaked with darker. Sociable and 

friendly. Builds beautiful soft nest in fork of bush. 

2. Myrtle or Yellow-rumped Warbler, {Dendroica cor- 
onatd). M., 5l- 

Bluish gray streaked with black, a yellow patch on 
rump, crown, and each side of breast. 

3. Chestnut-sided Warbler, {Dendroica pennsylvan- 
icd). S. R., 5. 

Crown, yellow ; body, olive green, black and white ; 
sides, chestnut. Second growths, scrubby clearings, or 
borders of woodlands. 

4. Oven Bird, {Seiurus aiirocapillus). S. R. , 6. 
Brownish olive green ; golden crown. On ground in 

thick woods. Builds a covered nest on ground, very diffi 
cult to find. 

5. Maryland Yellow-throat, {GeotJilypis irichas). S. 

Back, olive ; breast and throat, yellow ; a black mask 
on forehead and sides of head. Low, damp thickets. 
Retiring and shy. 

6. Redstart, {Setophaga riiticilla). S. R., 5^. 
Male, black and salmon red ; female, black and yel- 
low. Woodlands. Easily recognized. 

Family Troglodytidae, (Thrashers, Wrens, etc.). 

1. Catbird, {Galeoscoptes carolinensis). S. R. , c, 9. 
Slaty gray ; crown black ; rump chestnut. A trim 

Quakerish bird. Intelligent and friendly. Has a charm- 
ing song besides its harsh, cat-like note. 

2. House Wren, {Troglodytes aedon). S. R. , 5. 

A small, saucy, cinnamon brown bird, with his tail up 



BIRDS. 



177 



in the air. Sociable. Builds in boxes and crevices, as hol- 
lows in trees. 

Family Certhiidae, (Creepers). 

I. Brown Creeper, {Certhia familiaris americana). 

M ^^ 

Small ; pepper and salt color ; runs up and down trunks 
of trees, head up or down, as is most convenient. 

Family Paridae, (Nuthatches and Titmice). 

I. White-breasted Nuthatch, {Sitta carolinensis). 

R., c, 6. ^ , T 

Bluish gray back ; black crown ; white below. In 
summer in forests ; in winter comes into the city, where 
it runs up and down tree trunks, searching for insects and 
their eggs in crevices oi bark. 

2 Chickadee, {Parus atricapillns). R., c, <\. 
Very small; ashy blue ; head black ; lower parts white. 
In summer in woods, where he raises a large family m a 
hole in a tree ; in winter very sociable, running about 
shade trees, head up or down, and continually repeatmg 
his own name. 

Family Turdidae, (Thrushes, Bluebird, etc ) 

1 . Wilson's Thrush or Veery, ( Turdus ftiscescens). S. 

R 7^ 

Cinnamon brown; breast white with wedge-shaped, 
brown spots on sides. Our common thrush of the woods. 
Low, thick, marshy woods. 

2. Hermit Thrush, {Ttirdus aonalaschkac pallasti). 

Olive brown above ; breast yellowish white with round 
black spots ; tail rufous. Home farther north. Pure, 

sweet song. 

3. ^Q\^\xi,{Merulainigratorid). S. R.,c., 10. 

Our best known and most universally popular bird. Ar- 



178 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

rives among the first, and is the most sociable and famihar 
of all. 

4. Bluebird, {Sialia sialis). S. R. , c. , 7. 

Carries our national colors. Back, bright blue ; breast, 
cinnamon red ; below, white. One of our early birds. 
Fond of orchards and gardens. Builds in holes and 
boxes. 



ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS. 



Page 47. — January, 1900. The deaths of two more 
Oneida County soldiers in the Philippines have recently 
been reported in the papers. 

Page 50. — Trent 071. Presbyterian Church of Holland u. Herald. 
Patent; organized December 16, 1799. Centennial, De- ^®*^- '5- '''«• 
cember 14, 1899. 

Page 87. — After Isaac S. Hartley insert — 

Albert Barnes, (i 798-1 870); b. Rome; Hamilton, 
'20. Commentator on the Scriptures ; well known on both . 

'■ Johnson'sCyc. 

sides of the Atlantic. Notes on tJie Nczv Testatnent, ii 
vols., said to have reached a circulation of over a million. 
Comment aines on Isaiah, Job, Daniel, Psalms; The 
Chnrch and Slavery ; The Atonement in its Relations to 
Lazv and Moral Government ; Life at Three Score and 
Ten. 

Samuel Kirkland Lothrop, (1804-1886); b. Whites- 
boro ; Harvard, '25. Grandson of Samuel Kirkland ; forPio°eer», 
forty-two years pastor Brattle Square Ch., Boston. The 
Life of Samuel Kirkland, Missionary to the Indians, in Memoi/Rev. 
Sparks's Am. Biog. TJie History of the ChurcJi in Brattle^- ^- lothrop. 
Square. 

After Edward Bright insert — 

James Eells, (1822-1886); b. Westmoreland; Hamil- 
ton, '44. Memoir of Samuel Eells. 

Page 89. — After Mrs. Martha L. Whitcher insert — Gnswoid-a 

Mrs. Caroline M. Fisher Sawyer, (18 12-1864). Wife ^®™- p°^'*' 

pp. 218-24. 
of Thomas Jefferson Sawyer ; lived seven years at Clinton ; uppincott's 

author of translations of Hebrew poetry and German g;^*^' '^™' 

philosophy ; in 1861 Ed. Rose of Sharon, a monthly mag- 



l80 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY, 

azine in the French language ; and Ladies' Repository. 

Poetry of Hebrciv Tradition. 

Page 92. — After Anson Judd Upson insert — 

Francis Marion Burdick, {b. 1845) ; Hamilton, '69. 

Practiced law in Utica, 1872-83 ; Mayor, 1882-3 ; Prof. 

Wtao'i Who in 

America. Law and History, Ham. Coll., 1882-7; Prof. Law. Cor- 
nell Univ. School of Law, 1887-91. Prof. Law, Colum- 
bia Univ. since 1891. Burdick' s Cases on Torts ; Cases 
on Sales ; The Lazv of Sales ; Cases on Partnership ; The 
Law of Partnership ; Assoc. Ed. (Dept. of Law) John- 
son's Cyc. 

Page 93. — After Mrs. Eleanor Ecob Morse, insert- 
Mrs. Charlotte BuellComan, (b. Waterville). Painter 

Who's Who in 

America. of landscapes ; is one of the artists whose works have been 

selected for the Paris Exposition of 1900. 
sch Re 't Page 103. — The Utica Free Academy has a reference 

iigg, p. as. library of over two thousand volumes for the use of pupils. 



Page 3. — In line 33 read — Brant. 

Page 9. — First marginal reference to read — Pioneers, 
pp. 78, 62-5. 

Third marginal reference to read — Pioneers, pp. 206, 432. 

After third reference, insert — Ibid, p,,79. 

Pages 23, 25.^ — On margin read — A. F. B. Chace. 

Page 39. — In line 2 read — Philo C. Curtis. 

Page 63. — In line 19 read— David W. Childs. 

Page 70. — Under Mappa read — Olden Barneveldt. 

Page 82. — Read — Henry P. Sartwell. 

Page 87. — William Thomas Gibson. Read — Rector 
of St. George's, 1863-83 ; also of other churches in the 
County. 



BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

Abbreinations — C. H., Court House. L., City Library. O. H. S.' 
Oneida Historical Society ; Munson Williams Memorial. 

Where found. 

Academy, Historical Address at the Dedication of. 
1868. (Pamphlet, and in School Reports of 
1868, 1869.) /. W. Williams L. 

Albany, Annals of. 10 Vols. 1850-59. J. 

Munsell, O. H. S. , L. 

Anti-Slavery Convention, Proceedings of New 
York, held at Utica, Oct. 21 ; and New York 
Anti-Slavery State Society, held at Peterboro, 
Oct. 22, 1835. (Pamphlet.) O. H. S. 

Anti-Slavery Society, First Annual Meeting New 

York State. 1836. (Pamphlet.) O. H. S. 

Army of the Cumberland, Report of the Ninth 

Annual Reunion of the Society of. 1875 O. H. S. 

Artists, Book of American. 1867. H. T. Tuck- 
erman, 

Birds. 

Auk, The. (Magazine published for the 
American Ornithologists' Union.) 

Annotated List of the Birds of Oneida 
County, N. Y. (The only local work. 
Pamphlet, and in Trans. O. H. S., 1885-6.) 
W. L. Ralph and E. Bagg, O. H. S., L. 

Birds of Village and Field. 1898. Florence 

A. Mer riant L. 

Code of Nomenclature and Check-List of 
North American Birds, 2d. Ed. 1895. (Is- 
sued by American Ornithologists' Union.) L. 



1 82 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

Where found. 
Birds, (Continued.) 

Handbook of Birds of Eastern North Amer- 
ica. 1895. ^' ^- Chapman, L. 

History of North American Birds. 1874. 

Baird, Brewer and Ridgeway, L. 

Key to North American Birds, 4th Ed. 1894. 

(For identification. ) E. Cones, L. 

Life Histories of North American Birds. 
(On Breeding Habits and Eggs. Com- 
pleted only from the Grouse to the Crack- 
les. In Smithsonian Contributions to 
Knowledge, Vols. 28and32. 1892, 1895.) 

C. Bendire, L. 

Manual of North American Birds. 1887. 

R. Ridgeway, L. 

Botany, 

Manual of the Botany of the Northern 
United States, 6th Ed. 1899. (Revised 
by S. Watson.) A. Gray, L. 

Plants, A List of in the Vicinity of Utica for 
April, May and a portion of June. 1888. 
(Pamphlet. ) /. V. Haberer, O. H. S. 

Camden, N. Y., One Hundred Years, First Con- 
gregational Church. 1898. (Pamphlet.) 

Charter of the City of Utica L. 

Cheese Industry of the State of New York. (Bul- 
letin No. 15, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, 
Bureau of Animal Industry, 1896. Pamphlet.) 
B. D. Gilbert, L. 

City Government, A Study of. 1897. D. F. 
Wilcox, 

Civil Government in the United States. 1890. 

J. Fiske, L. 



BIBLIOGRAPHY. 1 83 

Where found. 

Clinton, N. Y., Centennial Anniversary of the In- 
stallation of Rev. A. S. Norton, D. D., as 
Pastor of what is now the Presbyterian Church. 
1893. (Pamphlet.) O. H. S. 

Constitution of the State of New York O. H. S., L. 

Constitutional Limitations, Treatise on. 6th 

Ed. 1890. T. M. Cooley, C. H. 

Critical Period of American History. 1888. 

J. Fiske, L-- 

Directories of Utica. 

Village. 1817, 1828, 1829; City, 1832, 1833, 
1834, 1837-8, 1839-40, 1 840-1, 1842-3, 
and from that time to date. O.H.S., L. except 1817. 

Enemies of the Constitution Discovered. By 

Defensor. 1835. (Pamphlet.) O. H. S., L. 

Flag of the United States, History of the, 3d. 

Ed. 1882. G. H. Preble, L. 

Forest Hill Cemetery, Utica. 1895. M.M.Bagg, L. 

Free Discussion in Utica in January, 1861. 

(Pamphlet.) 

Geography and Geology. 

Atlas of the State of New York. /. R.Bien, 

New York L. 

Atlas of Oneida County, N. Y. D. G. Beers 

mid Co. , Philadelphia 

Atlas of the City of Utica, N. Y. D. L. 

Miller, Philadelphia L. 

Aspects of the Earth. 1890. N. S. Shaler, . . L. 



184 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

Where found. 

Geography and Geology, (Continued.) 

Brookline (Mass.) Education Society, Year 
Book of, 1896-7. (Containing Report of 
Lecture by Prof. Shaler. Pamphlet.) ... L. 

Chapter in Glacial History, with Illustrative 
Notes from Central New York. (Pamphlet 
and in Trans. O. H. S. 1889-92.) A. 
P. Brigkam, O. H. S., L. 

Composite Origin of Topographic Forms. 
(Bulletin Am. Geog. Soc, Vol. XXVII., 
No. 2. Pamphlet.) A. P. Brigham, . . L. 

Corals and Coral Islands, 1879. J.D.Dana, L. 

Drift Bowlders between the Mohawk and 
Susquehanna Rivers. (Am. Journal of 
Science. Vol. XLIX., March, 1895.) A. 
P. Brighaui, L. 

Eastern Gateway of the United States. (In 
Geog. Journal, London, May, 1899.) A. 
P. Brigham, O. H. S. 

Geology, Manual of. 1880. J. D. Dana,.. L. 

Geology, Revised Textbook of. (Ed. byW. 
N. Rice), 1897. J. D. Dana 

Geology of New York. (In Nat. Hist, of 
the State of N. Y. Geol., Part III., 1842. 
L. Vannxcm), L. 

Geology of Oneida County. (Pamphlet and 
in Trans. O. H. S., 1887-9), A. P. 
Brigham, O. H. S. , L. 

Glacial Flood Deposits in Chenango Valley, 
1897. (Pamphlet). A. P. Brigham, .... 

Guide to the Study of the Geological Collec- 
tions of New York State Museum, 1898. 
(Bulletin N. Y. State Museum. Vol. 4, 
No. 19). F. J. H. Merrill, L. 



BIBLIOGRAPHY. 1 85 

Where found. 

Geography and Geology, (Continued.) 

Ice Age in North America, 1891. G. F. 

Wright, : L. 

Nautical Almanac, L. 

Rainfall and Snow in the United States, (U. 

S, Weather Bureau, 1894. Pamphlet). 

M. W. Harrington, L. 

Relative Humidity of Southern New England 

and Other Localities. (U. S. Weather 

Bureau, 1896. Pamphlet). A. J. Hcujy, L. 

Rivers and the Evolution of Geographic 

Forms. (Bulletin Am.Geog. Soc, March, 

1892). A. P. Brigham, L. 

Structure and Distribution of Coral Reefs, 

C. Darzuin, with appendix by T. G. 

Bonney. 1 889, L. 

Topography and Glacial Deposits of the 

Mohawk Valley. 1898. (Bulletin Geol. 

Soc. of Am,, Vol. 9, pp. 183-210, PI. 15). 

A . P. Brigham, L. 

Trilobite. The : New and Old Evidence Re- 
lating to its Formation. (Bulletin Mus. 

Comp. Zool. Harv. Coll., Vol. VIII., No. 

ID. 1 881. Pamphlet). C. D.Walcott, . . L. 

U. S. Geol. Survey, Bulletin No. 5, O. H. S. 

Weather Bureau, New York State. 8th 

Annual Report, 1896, L. 

Half-Century of Medico-Pyschological Literature. 
(Pamphlet, also in Am. Journal of Insanity, 
and in Trans. Am. Medico-Psychological Ass., 
1894.) G. A. Blumer, 

Hamilton College, Historical Sketch of. 1889. 
C. E. Allison 



1 86 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

Where found. 
' 'Hanes Cymry America, "(History of the Welsh in 

America). 1872. R. D. Thomas, 

Historical Collections. 1841. J. W.Barber,... L. 

Iroquois, League of the. 1851. L. H. Morgan, L. 
Iroquois, Notes on the. 1846. H. R. School- 
craft, L. 

Judson, Life of Mrs. Emily C. i860. A. C. 

Kendrick, L. 

Kirkland, Life of Samuel. (Sparks's American 
Biography, 2d Series). 1847. ^- K. Lothrop, 

Kirkland, History of the Town of. 1874. A.D. 

Gridley, O. H. S. 

Laws of New York, C. H. 

Men of Early Rome. 1879. (Pamphlet.) D. E. 

Wager, O. H. S. , L. 

New England Historical and Genealogical Regis- 
ter, 1880 L. 

New Hartford, Centennial Day of Presbyterian 

Church. 1891. (Pamphlet.) O. H. S. 

New York, Centennial Celebrations of. 1879. 

(Published by ^. C ^^«c/0, L. 

New York, Histories of, 

Brief History of the Empire State, 1895. 

W. Hendrick L. 

Documentary History of New York. 1 5 

Vols. 1846-48. E. B. aCallaghaji,.. . L. 

History of the Empire State. 1888. B. J. 

Los sing, L. 



BIBLIOGRAPHY. 1 8/ 

Where found. 

New York, Histories of (Continued.) 

New York, (American Commonwealth Series.) 

2 Vols. 1887. E.H.Roberts, L. 

New York, Reports of Adjutant General. 1866, 

1868 O. H. S., L. 

Newspapers. 

Many of the early newspapers of Utica are 
in the possession of the Oneida Historical 
Society. For partial list, see Catalogue 

of Library, O. H, S 

Later Newspapers are in the Public Library. 

Albany Atlas, July, 1 848 

Brookfield Courier, July 6, 1898 

Oneida, Early Bar of, 1876. (Pamphlet). W. 

J. Bacon, O. H. S. 

Oneida County, Histories of, 

Oneida County, Annals and Recollections of. 

1851. P. Jones, O. H. S.. L. 

Oneida County, N.Y. 1896. D. E. Wager, O. H. S., L. 
Oneida County, History of. 1878. Publish- 
ed by Everts and Fariss, Philadelphia. . L. 
Oneida County, Notices of Men and Events 
Connected with the Early History of. 

1838. W.Tracy. (Pamphlet.) O. H. S. 

Oneida County Regiments in Civil War. 

History of the 97th Regiment, N. Y. V. 

1890. /. Hall, O. H. S- 

History of the 117th Regiment, N. Y. V. 

1866. /. A. Motvris, O. H. S., L. 

Presentation of the Battle Flags of the 
Oneida County Regiments to the Oneida 
Historical Society. 1898. (Pamphlet). O. H. S., L. 



150 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

Where found. 
Oneida Historical Society, Transactions of 

the O. H. S.. L. 

Oriskany, Centennial Celebration of the Battle 

of. 1878 O. H. S. 

(Also in Cent. Celebrations of the State of N. Y. 

1879. A. C. Beach), L. 

Palatines, Story of the. 1897. S. H. Cobb L. 

Paris, Centennial ofjthe Congregational Church. 

1891. (Pamphlet.) 

Paris, History of the Town of, and the Valley of 

the Sauquoit. H. C. Rogers, O. H. S. 

Presbyterianism in Central New York. 1877. P . 

H. Fozvler, O. H. S. , L. 

Reports of Cases m the Supreme Court, etc., 
State of New York, 1828-1841. J.L. Wen- 
dell, C. H. 

Revolution, American. 2 Vols. 1895. J- Fiske, L. 

Revolution, Field Book of the. 1851. B. J. 

Lossing, L. 

Schools. 

History of the Common School System of 
the State of New York. S . S. Randall, . 
Reports of the Public Schools of Utica, ... L. 

Seward, Works of William H. 1887 L. 

Signers to the Declaration of Independence, Biog- 
raphies of the. 9 Vols. 1823-27. J.Sanderson, L. 
Slave Power in the United States, Rise and Fall 
of. 3 Vols. 8th Ed. c. 1872-77. //. 
Wilson, L. 



BIBLIOGRAPHY. 1 89 

Where found. 
Smith, Gerrit, a Biography. 1878. O. B. Froth- 

ingham, L. 

Travels in New England and New York. 4 Vols. 

in 2. 1821-22. T. Dwight, O. H. S.,L. 

Trenton, N. Y. , Centennial Address. (July 4, 

1876. Pamphlet.) /. F. Seymour, O. H. S., L. 

Trinity Church, Utica, N. Y. , One Hundred Years 
of. 1898. Ed. by J. R. Harding, 

Tryon County, Annals of. 183 1. W. W. Camp- 
bell O. H. S. 

United States, Constitutional History of. 

1 88 1. H. von Hoist, L. 

United States, Statistical Record of the Armies 

of. 1 893. F. Phisterer L. 

Utica, Memorial History of, 1892. M. M. 

Bagg, O. H. S. , L. 

Utica, Pioneers of, 1877. M. M. Bagg, .. .O. H. S., L. 

Utica, Semi-Centennial of the City of. 1862.. O. H. S. 

Utica, Sketch of Old. 1895. Blandina D. Mil- 
ler. (Pamphlet.) L. 

Utica Citizens' Corps, Semi-Centennial of. 

1887 O. H. S., L. 

Van Buren, Martin, (American Statesman Series. ) 

6th Ed. 1897. E. M. Shepard, L. 

Van der Kemp, Letter of Francis Adrian. 1792. 
(In Centennial Address, Trenton, N. Y. , 1876, 
J. F. Seymour), L. 

Webster, Daniel, (American Statesman Series.) 

1897. H. C. Lodge L. 



190 OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 

Where found. 

Webster, Life of Daniel. 1870. G. T.Curtis,. L. 

Webster, Works of Daniel. 17th Ed. 1877, .... L. 

Westmoreland, Exercises in Commemoration of 
the Centennial Anniversary of the First Con- 
gregational Church. i8q2. (Pamphlet.)... . 

Whitesboro, A Few Stray Leaves in the His- 
tory of. By a Villager. 1884. (Pamphlet.) 
Martha L. Whitcher, O. H. S. , L. 

Many Cyclopaedias, Dictionaries of Biography, Personal 
Memorials, etc. 



NDEX. 



PAGE. 

Abolitionists 85 

Academy, Charter granted, 1814, 98 
Academy and Court House, 1818, 

II. 19. 9Q 

Academy, (Building,). 1868, 102 

Academy, (New,) 1S99 102 

Actors 93 

Adams, John Quincy 62 

Alden, Isabella M. ("Pansy"),... 93 

Ames, Mary C, 90 

Andrews, Charles, 78 

Andrews. Edward Gayer, 87 

Apples 158 

Aqueduct Association, Utica, ...... 10 

Aqueduct Company, Utica, 10 

Archaeologists 78 

Armstrong, Jesse J 31 

Artists 92 

Augusta, Centennial of Presbyte- 
rian Church, 48 

Bacon. William J., 28, 76 

Bacon, William K 28 

Bagg, Egbert, (Colonel) 31 

Bagg, Egbert, 83. Houseof 64 

Bagg, Moses, 65. Houseof, 63 

Bagg, Moses. Jr., 66 

Bagg, Moses M., 88 

Bagg's Hotel 9. 65 

Ballou's Creek 132 

Bangs, Charles C 45 

Banks, 39 

Barber, Thomas N 42 

Barnes. Albert, 104,179 

Bartlett, Charles 104 

Barton, Clara 96 

Basket-making, 156 

Beardsley, Samuel 75 

Beebee. A. M 87 

Beech Grove 131 

Beet Sugar 158 

Bellinger, John, 10, 72 

Bennett, Dolphus 87 

Bethune, George W., 86 

Big Basin 132 

Birds. 

Bird Fauna, General Charac- 
ter of. Number of Species, 
How divided, etc., 163 



PAGE. 

Birds. — (Continued. ) 

Bittern, 166 

Bee Bird, or King Bird 170 

Blackbirds 172 

Bluebird 178 

Bobolink 172 

Buffle Head, or Butter Ball... 165 
Butcher Bird, or Great North- 
ern Shrike, I75 

Catbird 176 

Cedar Bird.or Cherry Bird, ... 175 

Chickadee i77 

Cowbird, 172 

Creeper, i77 

Crow 171 

Crow Blackbird, or Bronzed 

Grackle, 172 

Cuckoo, 169 

Dab-chick, or Pied-billed 

Grebe, 164 

Dove 167 

Ducks 165 

Finch 173 

Flicker, or Highhole, 169 

Flycatchers, 171 

Golden Eye, or Whistler 165 

Goldfinch, or Yellowbird, 173 

Goose, J 65 

Grackle (Bronzed), or Crow 

Blackbird, 172 

Grebe, (Pied-billed), or Dab- 
chick 164 

Grosbeak, (Pine), 172 

Grosbeak, (Rose- breasted),.., 174 

Grouse, 167 

Gull 164 

Hawks 167 

Herons, 166 

Highhole, or Flicker, 169 

Hummingbird, 170 

Indigo Bird, 174 

Jay 171 

Junco (Slate-coloredj,or Black 
Snowbird 174 

King Bird, or Bee Bird 170 



192 



OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 



FAGE 

Birds. — Continued. 

Kingfisher, i6q 

Lark 171 

Mallard, 164 

Martin, i74 

Meadowlark, 172 

Nighthawk, 170 

Nuthatch, 177 

Oriole 172 

Oven Bird 176 

Owls 168 

Phoebe 171 

Pigeon 167 

Plover 167 

Rail 166 

Redstart 176 

Robin 177 

Sandpiper, (Spotted), or Tip- 
up 166 

Shrikes i75 

Snipe 166 

Snowbird, (Black), or Slate 

Colored Junco 1 74 

Snowflake, or White Snow- 
bird 173 

Sparrows, 173, I74 

Swallows, 174 

Swift, 170 

Tanager, 174 

Teals 165 

Thrushes, i77 

Tip-up, or Spotted Sandpiper, 166 

Vireos i75 

Whistler, or Golden Eye, ... 165 

Woodcock, 166 

Woodpeckers 169 

Wood Pe wee 171 

Wood Warblers, 176 

Wren, ijb 

Yellowlegs 166 

Yellowthroat 176 

Yellowbird or Goldfinch, 173 

Bissell, Wilson S., 94 

Bleecker, John R., 6 

Bleecker Property 6, 59 

Bleecker, Rutger, 6 

Bonaparte, Joseph 96 

Booth, Emma Keith 45 



PAGE. 

Botany. 

Catalogues of Plants, 82. 83, 156 
Club Mosses, Number of 15* 

Equiseta, Number of, 152 

Ferns, Number of, 15* 

Flora, General Character of, 

152. 158 
Flowersof Early Spring, 153 ; 
of May, 154; June, 154; 
July and. August, 155 ; Sep- 
tember, 155. 
Flowering Plants,Number of, 152 
Forest Trees, Number of , . . . 152 

Herbaria 82, 1 56 

Orders of Plants, (List) 160 

Plants of Local Interest, 158 

Plants used by Man, 1 56 

Shrubs and Under-shrubs, 
Number of, 152 

Bradley, Dan 49 

Bradstreet, John 6 

Bradstreet Property, 6, 59 

Brant, (Indian) 3 

Brandt, H. C G., 92 

Breese, Arthur, 6 

Breese, Samuel Livingston, 74 

Breese, Sidney 74, 78 

Bridgewater, Centennial of Con- 
gregational Church, 48 

Brigham, Albert P. , 84 

Brigham, Amariah, 80 

Bright, Edward, ' 87 

Bronson, Greene C, 74 

Brown, M. E. D 93 

Brown, Samuel G. , 86 

Buildings, (Old). 

Bagg's Hotel, 65 

Churches — P resbyterian 
(First), 65 ; Presbyterian, 
New Hartford, 67 ; Trinity, 
65 ; Welsh Baptist. 65. 

Clark House, 63 

Cooper House, 65 

Denio House, 63 

Gridley House 64 

Inman Houses, 62 

Johnson House, 62 



INDEX. 



193 



Buildings, (Old)- Continued 
Kirkland Houses. ^Clinton), 



67 



64 
63 
68 
66 
64 



67 
66 

180 

3 

73 

54 

131 



Malcolm House 

Mann House • 

Mappa House, (Trenton),. ■ • 

Mechanics' Hall i9. 

Miller or Conkling House,... 

Round Building, ^^ 

School House, First 62, 104 

Seymour House °3 

Smith House, 

Town Hall, (Whitesboro), ... 67 
Van Rensselaer House 64 

Wager House ^3 

Walker House • •• 

White House, (Whitesboro), . 

York House, (Hotel), 59- 

Burdick, Francis M.. 

Butler, (Indian Leader) 

Butterfield, Daniel, 

Butterfield, John, 39- 

Buttermilk Fall, 

Camden, Centennial of Congre- 

gational Church, 4» 

Camp,Talcott 9, 72 

Campbell, S., ^5 

Canals. 

Chenango --.SS. ^31 

Erie. 10, 12, 54; ^^"^f^ 
Bridges over, 13; fc>arly 
Travel on, 52 ; Feeding of, I33 

Capron, Setb, • • 33 

Carpenter, William H., 9i 

Cascade Glen • • ^3i 

Cass. General •••i«. ^9 

Catalogues of Plants .82 83, 156 

Centennial Celebrations held in 

Oneida County 48. 108, no 

Chamber of Commerce 3° 

Champlm House • • ^3 

Charities of Utica, (Homes, 

Asylums, etc.) ■■■■ ■ Y\ 

Charter, Definition of,. ...... • "2 

Charters of Utica. (Village). 9, 
113, 114; City, Act of Incorpo- 
ration, 

Chase, Philander, 

Cheese, - •• 

Chester, Albert H., 84 



Childs, House of David W. 

Childs, Silas D 

Cholera, 

Christian Commission 

Christian, William H. 



PAGE. 
... 63 

•39. 54 

. . . 16 

... 25 

23, 29 



.16. 



115 
II 

40 

145 



65 



49 



50 
20 



Chubbuck, Samuel W 80 

Churches. 

Baptist, Welsh of Utica, .11, 
Baptist, of Waterville, Cen- 
tennial, "X"" 

Baptist, of Whitestown, Cen- 
tennial, 

Bleecker St. (Building). 16,19, 

Congregational, of Bridge- 
water, Centennial 48 

Congregational, of Camden, 
Ctntennial ;•■ 48 

Congregational, of Paris, 
Centennial,. 49 

Congregational, Welsh, of 
Utica, " 

Cong regational, of West- 
moreland, Centennial 50 

Methodist, of Rome 49 

Methodist, of Westmoreland, 50 

Number of in Utica i" 

Presbyterian, of Augusta, 

Centennial, 48 

Presbyterian, of Clinton, Cen- 
tennial 48 

Presbyterian, of Holland Pat- 
ent, Centennial, I79 

Presbyterian, of New Hart- 
ford, Centennial, 48 

Building 67 

Presbyterian, First, of Utica, 10 

Building 10, 65 

Presbyterian, United Socie- 
ty of Whitestown and Old 

Fort Schuyler 8, 10 

Presbyterian, of Whitestown. 
Centennial 50 

St. John's, of Utica, n 

St Paul's, of Paris, Centen- 
nial 49 

Trinity, of Utica ", 5o 

Building n. 65 

Unitarian, of Trenton 50 

Churchill, Alonzo 73 

Citizens' Corps, Utica, .... 22, 23. 42 



194 



OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 



PAGE 

City Governraeut, Functions of, 115 

Civil War. 

Public Meeting, Feb. 1861, 
22 ; Call for Troops, 22 ; Pub- 
lic Meeting, April, 1861, 22; 
Departure of Troops, 22 ; 
Women's Work, 23 ; Schools 
raise Flags, 23 ; Recruiting 
in 1861, 23 ; Additional Regi- 
ments, 23, 24 ; Return of 
First Regiments, 25 ; New 
England Regiments in Utica, 
25 ; Draft, 25 ; Life at Home, 
25 ; Retiirn of Remaining 
Regiments, 26 ; Regiments 
partly from Oneida Co., 27 ; 
Number of Calls for Troops, 
and Men furnished, 27 ; Field 
Officers of Regiments. 29-32. 
(See also Regiments of Onei- 
da Co. in Civil War.) 

Claesgens, Peter, 31 

Clark, Erastus 9 

Clarke, William, 108 

Clemensson, Justine 45 

Clergymen who are Authors,. ... 86 

Cleveland, Grover, 48, 94 

Cleveland, Rose E 90 

Clinton, Academies of, 105 

Clmton, Centennials held in 48 

Clinton, DeWitt 13, 54, 55, 98, 100 

Clinton, George 95, 97, 98, J05 

Clinton, House of Mrs. GeorgeW., 62 

Cochran, James 64 

Cochran, John, 71 

Cogswell, Milton, 32 

Colbraith, William 6 

Coman, Charlotte B., • . 180 

Conkling, Roscoe, 77 ; House of, 64 

Conventions in Utica. 

Anti-Slavery, 1835, 16; 1861, 21 

County Superintendents of 
Schools, 1842, loi 

Free Soil, 1848, 19 

Liberty Party, 1848, 19 

People's Party, 1824 13 

Cook, Marc 88 

Cook, Mathias, 83 

Cooper, House of Apollos, 65 

Cooper, B. F., 35 



PAGE. 

Copeman, A. R 82 

Corning, William S 31 

Cosby, William, 6 

Cosby's Manor, 6, 7, 59 

Counties of New York. Original, 

I ; Changes in 2 

Court House and Academy, . . 11, 19 

Cozier, Ezra S 114 

Crane, William H., 94 

Culver F'amily, House of, 62 

Curran, Edward 38 

Curran, Henry H 31 

Curtis. Philo C 38, 39 

Daggett, Rufus 30, 3 1 

Dairy Board of Trade, Utica, .. . 40 

Dana, James D., 80, 104 

Dana, Joseph 104 

Davies, Arthur B 93 

Davies. Thomas M., 29 

Dean, James 4, 6, 6g, 70 

Decker, House of Israel, 64 

Deerfield Ravine 131, 142 

Denio, Hiram, 75 ; House of 63 

Despard, House of Madame,. ... 62 

Devereux, John C 40, 1 1 5 

Devereux, Nicholas, 40 

Dickens, Charles 96 

Directories, Village, (1S17, 1S28, 

1829) 12 

Dix, John A 100. 106 

Dodd, Bethuel 8, 50 

Douel, Alexander 32 

Dwight, Pres. Description of 

Utica in 1798 15 

Dwight, Theodore W 77 

Dwight. W. B 140 

Fames, Elizabeth J., 90 

Easton, Oliver P 10 

Edgerton, Fay, 104 

Edwards, Jonathan the Younger, 

4S, 49 

Educators, 91 

Eells, Daniel, 72 

E ells, James 179 

Egelston, Rouse S 30 

Ellison Family, House of, 62 

Ellsler. Effie, 93 

Ellsler, Fanny 93 

Ellsler, John A 93 

Emerson, George B., roi 

Faxton, Theodore S 39. 54 

Female Academy, L^tica, 99, 100 



INDEX. 



195 



PAGE. 

Female Charitable Society of 

Whitestown 11 

Fires, 1837, 17 ; 1851 19 

Fish, Mayor 102 

Fisher, Samuel W 86 

Flags of Oneida Co. Regiments, 

28, no 
Flag of U. S. First used on 

Land 4. 

Flats, The 133 

Flandrau, Thomas M , 73 

Floyd, William 72 

Foote, Moses, 48 

Ford, House of W. E 64 

Ford, S. W 140 

Forester, Fanny, 89 

Fort Schuyler, (Old). 

Ford at, 2 ; Whom named 
for, 2 ; When built, 3 ; Dedi- 
cation of Site of. 109 ; Village 
ot, 7 ; Divided, 7 ; Early 
Condition of, 7. 
Fort Stanwix, 2, 3, 4. Treaties 

at .^ 5. 95 

Foster, Henry A 77 

Foster, Theodosia, ("Faye Hunt- 
ington") 90 

Fowler, Philemon H 86 

Franchises, Definition of Munici- 
pal, 121 

Franklin Benjamin 106 

Frederic, Harold 88 

Freedman's Relief Association, . . 25 

Freeholder 113 

Fruits, Wild 157 

Fuller, Frances and Metta 90 

Fugitive Slave 17 

Gale, George W 91 

Gallaudet, William, 101 

Gansevoort, Peter, 3 

Garrard, Kenner 25, 31 

Gaynor, Jud.^e, 78 

Geography of Utic.v. 

Altitude, 1 29 

Area 137 

Boundaries, 129 

Latitude and Longitude 129 

Original Character of Soil,... 133 

Plan 130 

Political Divisions 137 

Population, 137 



PAGE. 

Geography gfUtica. — Continued. 
Situation, 129, 133, 134 

Temperature, Weather, etc., 

135, 13& 
Geology. 

Adirondacks, ..■ 139 

Appalachians 140 

Archaean Rocks, 139, 140 

At Little Falls 140, 149 

Black River Limestone 141 

Brick Clays, 148 

Building Stone, 141, 146, 148 

Calcareous Tufa. 149 

Calciferous Sand-rock 140 

Cambrian Rocks 140 

Clinton Group 145 

Fossils of, 146 

Coal 147, 148 

Corniferous Rocks 147 

Fossils of, 147 

Glacial Period 149 

Glaciation, Evidences of, 151 

Hamilton Shales, 148 

Fossils of 148 

Hudson River Group, 144 

Lower Helderberg Rocks, 

146, 147 

Fossils of 147 

Lower Silurian Rocks 140 

Fossils of 144 

Marcellus Shales, 147 

Medina Epoch 144, 145 

Mineral Paint 148 

Mineral Springs, 143, 144 

Niagara Group 146 

Concretions of, 146 

Oneida Conglomerate, 144 

Fossils of 145 

Oneida Co., General Geolog- 
ical Character 138, 140 

Oriskany Sandstone, 147 

Fossils of 147 

Paving Stones, 148, 149 

Peat 148 

River Deltas and Terraces, 

150, 151 

Salina Group, 146 

Sand 148 



196 



OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 



Geology. — Continued. 

Surface Changes since Devo- 
nian Age 149 

Trenton Limestone 141 

Fossils of, 142 

Upper Silurian Rocks, 145 

Utica, Geology of, 139 

Soil of Vicinity, 151 

Utica Slate 142 

Fossils of, 142, 143 

Water, Post-Glacial Action 

of 151 

German Flats, 7 

Gibson, William T 87^ 180 

Gilbert, Benjamin D S3 

Ginseng, 156 

Gold. Thomas R., 74 

Goodier, Lewis E., 42 

Goodrich, Chauncev E., 156 

Goss, Charles F.,. .'. 88 

Government. 

Aldermen, 116, iig 

Assessors, Board of 117 

Auditors, Board of Town, 

117, 118 

Charities, Board of, 118 

City, Class of determined by 

Population 112 

City, Relations of to State and 

Nation 112 

Civil Service Examiners, 

Board of, 119 

Clerk, City, 116, 117, 120, 121 

Collectors, 119, 120 

Commissioners of Common 

Schools 118 

Commissioners of Deeds, 119 

Commissions, Bi-partisan,.... 119 

Common Council 115, 116 

Constables 119 

Corporatitm Counsel, 117, 120 

Court, City 119 

Clerk of, 119 

Education, Board of , 118 

Elections, present date of Mu- 
nicipal, .' 115 

Fence Viewers, 119 

Finances, 116, 120 

Fire Department 118 

Fran ch i ses, 121 



Government — Continued. 

Government OfBcials, 94 

Health, Board of 117 

Health Officer 118 

Janitors 119 

Judge, City 115, 119 

Judge, Special City 119 

Justices of the Peace, 120 

Keeper of the City Clock 116 

Mayor 115, 116, 117, 121 

Messengers 119 

Plumbers and Plumbing, 
Examining and Supervis- 
ing Board of, 119 

Police and Fire Commission- 
ers, Board of, 116. 118 

Police Matron, 118 

Police Department, 118, 120 

Pound Masters, 119 

Scavenger, Citj' 119 

Sealer and Examiner of 

Weights and Measures, 119 

Sexton, City 119 

Supervisors 119 

Surveyor, City, 116, 117, 120 

Taxes 120 

Treasurer 115, 117, 120 

Graham, Edmund A 38 

Grand Army of the Republic, 

Posts of 27 

Grant, Uly.sses S 28 

Gray, Asa, 79 

Gray John P 81 

Greeks, Aid sent to, 13 

Green. Beriah 85 

Gridley, A. D 88 

Gridley, Philo, 18, 76; House of , 64 

Grimke, Angelina, 86 

Grindlay, James G., 31 

Gulf, The 131, 132 

Haberer, Joseph V., 83 

Hackett, James H., 93 

Hall, Delos E 30 

Halleck. Henry W 72 

Halleck's Ravine 131, 144 

Hamilton, Alexander, 97, 105 

Hamilton College, 70, 105 

Hamilton Oneida Academy, 4, 70, 105 

Hannahs, Mrs. A., 45 

Hannahs, Mary E., 45 



INDEX. 



197 



8 Irving, Washington,. 



PAGE. 
• 96 



Jacob, Therese von, ("Talvi"), . 79 

James, Thomas L., 94 

Jenkins, David T., 3i 

Jennings, Gilbert S 29 

Johnson, Alexander B., B4 

Johnson, Alexander S. , 77 

Johnson, House of A. B. and A. vS. 62 

Johnson, Sir William, 5 

Johnson, William C S2 

Jones, Pomroy, 88 

Judson, Emily C. ("Fanny Fores 
ter"), 



Harrer, Frederick, 2 

Hartley, Isaac S 87 

Hastings, Thomas 91 

Hawley, Gideon, 98 

Herbaria, S2, 156 

Herkimer, Nicholas 3 

Historians 88 

Hodges, George, 88 

Hodges, George C, 83 

Hogeboom, Henry, 92 

Holland Land Company, 66, 68, 70 
Holland Patent, Centennial Pres- 
byterian Church 179 

Homestead Aid Association, 3S 

Hooker, Samuel 66 

Hooker, General, 28 

Hops ^58 

Horsburgh, Charles S 43 

Horseshoe Fall, 131 

Horsmanden, Daniel, 6 

Hospital, City. Officers of 118 

Hoxie, John C 33 

Hoyt, Building erected by David, 66 

Humphrey, Correl 38 

Hunt, Edwin, 82 

Hunt, Montgomery 40 

Hunt, Ward 76 

Huntington, Channing M 88 

Huntington, Faye, 90 

Huntington, George, 6 

Huntington, Henry 4" 

Independent Infantry Co , 12 

Indian Corn, 15S 

Indian name of Utica, 6, 134 

Indian Trails 5 1 

Indians. 

Brothertown 14 

Iroquois, List of Tribes com- 
posing, (See also Oneidas), i 

Lands of, acquired by State 
of N. Y I, 5 

New Stockbridge, H 

Oneidas, i, 4, U- io5 Lincoln, Abraham,. . 

Sacred Stone of 4 Lind, Jenny 

Stockbridge, i4 Line of Property . . 

Lintner, Joseph A.,. 

Treaties with 5, 95 Literature Lotteries 

Inman, Henry 92 Long, Oscar F.,. ... 

Inman, William. Houses of 62 Lothrop. House of John H 62 

Inman, William, (Commodore). ... 74 Lothrop, Samuel K i79 

Irish Famine, 19. i57 Lyceum, Utica, 104 



89 



Kelly, The Misses, 100 

Kent, James ^ 

Kernan, Francis 77 

Kernan, John D., 38, 78 

King, General 43 

King, George W. , 93 

Kingsley, Florence M. 90 

Kirkland, Caroline S 89 

Kirkland,JosephP..i6,ii5; House 

of 64 

Kirkland, Samuel, 4, 5, 69, 105 ; 

Houses of ^7 

Knieskern, Peter D 82 

Knox, John J., 94 

Kossuth, Louis, 20, 95 

La Fayette, 1 3. 62. 95 

Lamps, (Street), First lighted in 

Utica, 13 

Lansing. John 6 

Lancasterian System in Schools, 

q8, 100 

Lawyers, 74 

Lewis, Governor 98 

Libraries. 

Academy 180 

Public, 106, 107 

School District toi, 106 



Teacher 



198 



OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 



PAGE. 

McKay, William A 32 

McLean, William, g 

McLeod, Trial of Alexander, 17 

McMillan, Andrew, 102 

McQuade, James 23, 29 

McQuade, John F., 28 

Malcolm, House of Samuel B.,.. 64 

Malcolm, Mrs. Samuel B 64 

Mann, House of Mrs. Charles A., 63 

Mann, Horace, loi 

Mann. James F., 38 

Mandeville, Henry, 86 

Mansion House 65 

Manual Labor Institute, Whites- 

boro, founded 91 

Manufactures. 

Cotton and Woolen Indus- 
tries, History of 33 

Clothing 36 

Foundries, etc 37 

Furnaces, 36 

Knit Goods 37 

Lumber 37 

New York Mills, (See Cotton 
Industry, History of.) 

Pottery (Early) 38 

Steam Engines, (First),..... 39 

Manufacturing and Mercantile 

Association, Utica, 38 

Mappa, Adam, 70. House of, 

(Trenton) 68 

Marshall, Benjamin 35 

Mason, Charles 76 

Masonic Home no 

Maynard, William H 74 

Men of Letters 84 

Men of Science, 79 

Mervine, William, 73 

Mervine, Catharinus B 74 

Mexican War, ig 

Meyers, Francis X 30, 31 

Michaels, Lewis 29 

Miller, Addison C 38 

Miller, George L 76 

Miller, Morris S., (Judge), 11, 156; 

House of, 64 

Miller, Morris S., (General), 72 

Mitchell, Maggie, 93 



PAGE- 

Mohawk River. 

Bridge over, 7 

Early Navigation of, 51 

Ford, 2, 6, 135 

Straightening of, 134 

(See also Geology, Surface 
Changes.) 

Montgomery, Richard, 2 

Moore, Thomas 95 

Morris, Gouverneur 66 

Morse, Eleanor E. , 93 

Morse, John B., 93 

Morse, Samuel F. B 80 

Mountain Ash Tree on Church 

Tower, 159 

Munson, Alfred 40 

Munson-Williams Memorial no 

Museum, Utica, 20 

Nail Creek 132 

Naval Officers 73 

New Hartford, Centennials held 

in 48, no 

Newspapers, (Earlyj g 10 

North, Edward, 91 

North, S. N. D 95 

Northrup, Charles, 30 

Norton, Asahel S., 48 

Noyes, William C 75 

Occum, Samson 14 

" Old Saratoga," in 

Oneida Carrying Place, 

2, 3, 51, 52, 135 

Oneida Chapter, D. A R., 45 

Oneida County. 

Settlement by Whites, i ; 
Organization of, 2, 5, 7 ; First 
Courts of, 5 ; Centennial of, 
50, no ; Topography of, 134, 
135 ; Area of, 135 ; Soil and 
Climate of, 135, 158; Geolog}' 
of, 138, 140. 

Oneida Historical Society, 108 

Oriskany, Battle of, 3 ; Centen- 
nial, 108; Monument, 108 

Oriskany Creek, 133 

Osage Orange 158 

Ostrom, David 6 

Paine, John A 82 

Palatines, 4 



INDEX. 



199 



PAGE. 

Palmer, Erastus D., 92 

Palmer, Jeremiah, 32 

' 'Pansy" 90 

Paris, Centennials, held in, 49 

Paris, Isaac, 49, 156; Re-inter- 
ment, 49 

Parker, Jason, 39, 53 

Parmelee, Truman, 11 

Pease, William R 24, 30 

Perkins, George R 91, loi, 159 

Perry, Commodore, 12 

Peters, C. H. F 81 

Philologists 78 

Photographs of Streets (First), . . 26 

Piatt, Mrs., 100 

Pickard, Arthur W 43 

Pioneers, 6g 

Plank Roads 55 

Piatt, Jonas, 6, 74 

Plum, Bleecker 156 

Poles, Aid sent to 13 

Pond, Theron T 157 

Pond's Extract, 157 

Pot Herbs 157 

Potato, Experiments on, 157 

Post, John 9 

Post Roads 53 

Potter, Alonzo, 101 

Potter, Stephen 72 

Powell, Edward P 84 

Powell, Isaac P 31 

Proctor, Thomas R 47, 95 

Public School System of the State 

of N. Y., 97, 100, loi 

Railways. 

Between Utica and Syracuse, 56 

Mohawk and IT ■.;d:,ou 5O 

Mohawk and Malone, 57 

N.Y.,West Shore and Buffalo, 57 

Utica and Black River 36 

Utica, Chenango and Susque- 
hanna Valley, 56 

Utica, Clinton and Bingham- 

ton 57 

Utica and Schenectady, .... 56 

Railways, Street, 26, 57 

Ralph, William, S3 

Read, J. Harry, 46 

" Red Jacket," 5 

Reel's Creek 131 

Regents of the Universit3% 

97, loo, 105, 107 



PAGE. 

Regiments of Oneida County in 
Civil War. 
Whole Number, 27, 28 ; ist 
(14th N. Y,), 23, 25 ; 2nd 
{26th N. Y.), 23, 25 ; 3rd (97th 
N. Y.), 23, 26; 4th (117th N. 
Y.), 24, 26 ; 5ch (146th N. Y.). 
24,26 ; 2d Heavy AJtillery, 28; 
Field Officers, 29, 32 

Remrner, Joseph H., 44 

Reynolds, William H 28 

Richardson, Richard H., 29 

Roach, Henry P., 32 

Roberts, Ellis H., 94 

Robinson, Edward 78 

Rogers, Henry C , 88 

Rogers, Oliver G., 35 

Rogers' Glen 133, 146 

Rome, 2, 3, 5, 7, 51, 52; Centen- 
nial of First Methodist Church, 49 
Root, Elihu 95 

St. Leger, Barry 3 

Sandbank, 61 

-Sanger. Jedediah, 5, 6, 48, 71 

Sanitary Commission, 25 

Sartwell, Henry P 82 

Savage. John 76 

Sauquoit Creek, 133 

Sawyer, Caroline M. F., 179 

Sawyer, George C 102 

Sawyer, Leicester A., 87 

Sawyer, Thomas J., 87 

Schoolcraft, Henry R., 78 

Schools, Normal loi 

Schools of Utica. 

Private, 99. 104 

Public 98, 99,101, 103 

Prizes for Pupils in, 103 

Prizes for Teachers in 103 

Training, 103 

Scbug. Nicholas 46 

Schuyler, Peter, of Albany, .... 2, 3 

Schuyler, Peter, of New jersey, . 3 

Schuyler, Philip, 2,6, 64 

Schuyler Property, 6, 59 

Schuyler, Walter S 44 

Scollard. Clinton, 89 

Scriba, G. F. W. A 71 

Scott John M 6 

Seal of Village 114 

Seneca Turnpike Co. , 7 

Seward Family, House of 62 



200 



OUTLINE HISTORY OF UTICA AND VICINITY. 



PAGE. 

Seymour, House of Henry, Hora- 
tio and John F., 63 

Seymour, Horatio 76, 108, 109 

Seyburn, Stephen Y 44 

Sheldon. Miss 99 

Shepard, Abraham, 108 

Shepard's Tavern, 108 

Sherman, General, 28 

Sherman, House of Watts 64 

Shire Towns ij2 

Shue, Josephine 45 

Sicard, Montg'omery H 74 

Sigsbee. Charles S., 47 

Skenandoa, 4, 105 

Skillen, Charles H 29 

Slavery in Utica, 15 

Smith, Gerrit, 17,62, 85 

Smith, Peter, 70; House of 62 

Soldiers, Revolutionary, 71 ; 2nd 

Period 72 

(See also War of 1812, Civil 
War, and Spanish War.) 
Soldiers' Monuments, Utica, 28 ; 

Waterville, 28 

Spanish War. 

Beginning of, 42; Co. E., 42; 
Co. G., 43 ; Co. K., 44; War 
Relief Associations, 44 ; Hos- 
pitals, 45 ; Nurses, 45 ; Re- 
turn of Troops, 46 ; Number 
of Oneida Co. Men in service, 
46 ; Men who died in service, 
46, 179; Medals presented, 47. 

Spencer, John C, 100 

Spencer, Joshua A., 18, 75 

Spofford, John P., 30 

Stage Lines, 53 

Starch Factory Creek 131 

State Hospital, Utica no 

Stephens, Levi, 53 

Stereopticon first shown 26 

Steuben, Baron, 71, 105 ; Grave 

and Monument 108 

Storrs, Henry R 74 

Stocking, House of Samuel, 63 

Streets. 

Albany, Direction of 130 

Early Village Streets, 7, 59 

Early Ordinances Concern - 

mg Streets, 13 

Genesee, 59, 130 



PAGE. 

Names of Streets and Parks, 59 

Park Avenue, Direction of, . . 130 

Paved Streets, Length of, . . . 137 

Paving, First 13 

Stryker, Melancthon W 88 

Sulphur Spring Glen 131 

Sunday School, Utica n 

Sweeney, J. M 45 

Surgeons, Army 73 

Talcott, Samuel A., 74 

" Talvi," 79 

Taylor, Zachary, 19 

Taxes, Definition of, 120 

Tax-list, First in L^tica, 9 

Telegraph Co., (First), 39, 80 

Terry, M. 95 

Thompson, C. Harry, 46 

Throop, Montgomery H., 77 

Tompkins, Governor 98 

Tourtellot, House of Mrs. L. A., 63 

Tracy, Charles, 75 ; House of, . . . 64 

Tracy, William 75 

Trees of Utica and Vicinity, 

(Elms and Poplars* 158 

Trenton Centennial 50 

Trenton Falls, 141, 151 

Truax, Judge, 78 

Tryon, William 2 

Turnpikes, '. 52 

Underground Railroad 17 

" U-nun-da da-ges," 6, 134 

Upson, Anson J., 92 

Utica. 

Incorporated as a Village, 9 ; 
Named, 9, 113; Separated 
from the Town of Whites- 
town, 9, 114; Appearance in 
1817, 12 ; Early Officers of, 
14, 113, 114; Population in 
1 83 1, 15 ; Incorporated as a 
City, 16, 115 ; Extent in 1S32, 
16 ; Financial Condition in 
1834. 1837, 17 ; 1855-57, 20; 
Semi-Centennial of the City, 
109. (See also Civil War, 
Geography, Government.) 

Utica, Centennials held in, 50 

Van der Kemp, Francis Adrian, 

70; Letter of 54 



INDEX. 



20I 



Van Rensselaer, House of Jere- 
miah, 64 

Van Rensselaer, Stephen 66 

Varick, Abraham, 40 

Vasey, George, 82 

Victor Brothers, go 

Visitors 12, 13, 20, 28, 55, 95, 108 

Wager Family, Houses of , . . . .62, 63 

Wager, Daniel E 88 

Wagner, Gustave, . 32 

Walcott, Benjamins., 34, 35 

Walcott, Benjamin S., Jr., 34 

Walcott, Charles D., 

84. 140, 142, 143, 144 

Walcott, W. D., 35 

Walker, Benjamin, 71, 108; 

House of 62 

Walker, House of Thomas, 64 

Walker, William C S3 

War of 1S12 12 

Washington, George, 95 

Washingtonian Movement 18 

Water Works Company, Utica,. . 10 
WaterviUe, Centennial Baptist 

Church 49 

Watson, William H 94 

Webster, Daniel, 96 

Weld, Theodore D 85 

Wells, (Village) 10 

Western Inland Lock Navigation 

Company, 52 

Westmoreland, Centennials held 

in, 50 

Wfctmore, Ezra F., 29 

Wetmore, E. A 99 

Wetmore, Edmund 78 

Wheeler, Joseph, 46 



Wheeler, O. Ross, 46 

Wheelock, Charles, 24, 30 

Whistler, J. V. G., 32 

Whitcher, Frances M. B., 89 

Whitcher, Martha L., 89 

White, Alvin, 30 

White, Hugh, 5, 70; House of, . 67 

White, Nicholas A 38 

White, Noah 38 

White, Philo, 67 

Whitesboro 7 

Whitestown, Centennials held in, 

50, tio; Eastern boundary of, 7 

Whitestown Seminary, 104 

Whitfield, John W 83 

Whitfield, Robert P., 83 

Whittlesee. Mrs., 104 

Witch Hazel, Extract of,. 157 

Wiles, Irving R., 93 

Wiles, Lemuel M 93 

Williams, George H., 82 

Williams, Jesse, 40 

Williams, House of Nathan, 63 

Williams, S. Wells, 79, 104 

Williams, Thomas, 72 

Williams, William 12 

Wilson Elm, 159 

Wines from Native Plants, 157 

Wolcott, Samuel G,, 73 

Women Writers 89 

Wood Creek, 3, 51, 135 

Woolsey, J. T., . 73 

Woolsey, M. B., 73 

Woolsey, Melancthon T., 73 

Wright, Florence, 45 

'■ Ya-nun-da-da-sis," 6 

York House 59, 66 

Young, Charles B., 29 



